Fairy Tail: Isle of The Dragons
by marcus00721
Summary: A rumor of an ancient island inhabited by dragons resurfaces, and these residents request the help of none other than Fairy Tail to preserve peace. This will lead Fairy Tail into a battle against fate and destiny, will they be able to overcome such a hurtle, or will they succumb to the limits of their own strength?
1. Prolouge

Long ago, there was a tale passed down. This tale spoke of a secluded island far to the south; this island was no ordinary island, no. This island was home to many legendary items, for starters. To begin with, there is the Mystic Water. This holy water is said to be strong enough to purify any and all illness. It is also stated to believe that this water can multiply the power of those who drink it exponentially, it is for that reason many have tried to search for this island, but their searches came up empty.

There is yet another item that makes this island the eye of many. The Eternal Sword, a blade crafted by the Celestial Spirit Origin, wielded by an ancient hero of a war over 500 years ago. This blade is rumored to have the power to grant the wielders wishes, but only if they possess the right to wield the blade.

Soon, people ceased hunting down this island. Why would they, even with all these valuable rarity. Because this island was the home of creatures long thought vanished. This island was the home…of dragons.

.

.

"Guh! You bastard…!" Natsu struggled within the grip of a shadowed figure, injured and exhausted, there wasn't much he could do about his situation. The city was in flames and ruins, dragons roaring violently in the distant.

 _"_ _Ha ha! Look at how far your little heroics got in the end! You thought you'd be able to 'save' everyone? There's nothing that can stop destiny, you know!"_

"I don't give a damn about your destiny…I'll make sure you won't get away with this, even if it's the last thing I do!" Natsu roared out angrily, flames protruding from his mouth. He unleashed a point blank roar, but it seemed to have no effect.

 _"_ _You still don't understand what you're dealing with. THAT, Natsu Dragneel, was the very last thing you'll ever do. You and your friends can't change the fate of this island, or the people on it. It's a shame you realized that too late. Goodbye, Natsu Dragneel. This will mark the end of humans, and the era of dragons will begin!"_

Lucy limped forward as quickly as she could, holding her arm while giving a pained expression. "N-NO! NATSU!"


	2. Chapter 1: Infiltration

"Yeesh…" Lucy stormed into the Fairy Tail with a frown on her face. Her first stop was the job board, glancing around for something suitable to pay her rent. "I can't believe that stupid hot headed idiot…!" She grumbled loudly, catching the attention of a few of her friends.

"Uhm…is everything all right, Lucy-san…?" Wendy questioned from her seat, giving a somewhat uneasy smile.

"She looks a little worked up…" Cynthia whispered, though this caused a comical tick mark to appear on Lucy's forehead.

"I'm fine!" Lucy replied with a huff. "Natsu's just an idiot, that's all."

"Tell me something else we already know…" Gray commented from the sidelines with a chuckle.

"Juvia loves you, Gray-sama!" Juvia exclaimed while throwing her arms out, immediately coiling them around Gray for a near inescapable hug.

"I know…" Gray responded with a deadpanned sigh.

"Don't worry about it…" Lucy replied while snatching a job off the board. "This is just enough to pay my rent, and have a little left over…" She then walked over to Mirajane, placing the flyer on the bar countertop. "Mira, I'm taking this one."

"Oh, alright!" Mirajane nodded, giving Lucy a smile. "Good luck!"

"Thanks…" With a small smile, Lucy nodded to Mirajane and made her way to the front doors. Natsu happened to come in at the time, but the two merely just stuck their tongues out at each other childishly while passing by. "Hmph!" And with that, Lucy was off.

"Geez…" Natsu let out a sigh before taking a seat at a table.

"Those two haven't been getting along at all lately…" Mirajane said with a worried tone. "I hope everything will settle over soon…"

"They'll be fine! It's Natsu and Lucy after all!" Cynthia exclaimed while throwing her arms out. "If not…I'll uh…eat my shoe." She said while pointing to her sandal.

"I don't think you need to do that…" Wendy said with a sweat drop on her forehead.

"Did Lucy just leave?" Erza asked while walking down from the second floor. "I didn't think she'd take a mission on her own…I suppose I should've asked sooner…"

"What's up, Erza?" Gray inquired.

"As you know, I've been investigating some odd activity here in Fiore…it's been in a slight large scale, though just under the radar of the Council to where they can't act without solid evidence." Erza explained. "They've been moving in from Fiore to Seven back and forth, and while I can't pinpoint their exact location, but I've been given a rough estimation of where they may be."

"Are you gonna bring us along!?" Natsu hopped from his seat, looking rather excited to fight once again. It had been some time since the incident involving Tartarus and Dealer and all that.

"Slow down, Natsu," Erza demanded.

"Yeah, we don't even know where she got this information from first, hothead…" Gray said while still attempting to push Juvia off of him.

"I received contact a few days ago from a little spy in their rankings…" Erza spoke while crossing her arms. "They've informed me of a base just near the border. If we hurry, we can stop their plans."

"Alright, I'm down!" Natsu said while pounding one fist into the other.

"Let's see…Natsu, Gray, Wendy, Cynthia, and Juvia…we'll be going." Erza listed the roster while nodding to herself. "I would've asked Lucy, but it appears as though she's already gone."

"Good…" Juvia murmured. Her mind then began to wander on another possible scenario of what would happen if Lucy was around Gray instead of Juvia.

{Oh Gray-sama, you saved my life! Let's get married and have 10 kids!}

{Of course! I love you, Lucy!}

Just the very thought caused Juvia's face to turn red. "No love rival!"

"I sometimes wonder what happens in her mind…" Carla glanced away with a shake of her head.

"Anyway…we should get going. Our contact said they would meet us at the entrance." Erza spoke before leading the way out, the others following right alongside her.

.

.

"I don't need him to do a job…" Lucy muttered while hopping aboard a train. She took a seat near a window, letting out a silent huff. She glanced at the flyer in her hands again, rereading the information. "A scientist is causing trouble in a nearby cave...in a town near the coast. I've had enough of scientist…but that's fine, I can handle this on my own!" She was determined; very determined. "I'll come back with the victorious smile!" And as she spoke, the train was headed off.

.

.

Hours later after their leave from Fairy Tail, Team Natsu was now at the border of Fiore and Seven. There was a large border fortress, and some large scale operation was occurring; there were a large amount of armored soldiers clad in black armor moving in and out the building. They seemed to be carrying some sort of cargo in and out of the building. "What strange armor…they mustn't be from this country…" Erza deducted.

"Let's just go in and smash 'em!" Natsu proclaimed loudly at the top of his lungs, but he was quickly shushed by Erza slapping her hand over his mouth.

"Natsu, be quiet!" Erza demanded.

"We're trying to be stealthy, you idiot!" Gray whispered.

"Mmmph…" Natsu grumbled and Erza slowly removed her hand.

"How are we going to go about this? There's no way we're getting inside…" Carla said while eying the building. "They're moving all throughout the building, it's impossible to sneak in anywhere…"

"Maybe we can sneak in underground…?" Cynthia suggested, but then shook her head. "No, never mind…that was pretty stupid…"

"Our contact should be meeting us soon…" Erza said while carefully scanning around the area. "Hm…"

"Hey, who are you!?" Two soldiers shouted at the small group, causing them to turn around instantly.

"T-They spotted us?!" Juvia turned, preparing for battle.

"We've been compromised…" Erza grit her teeth while glancing behind her; it appeared that more soldiers were on the way, and the small group of Fairy Tail mages was severely outnumbered.

"Oh no…" Wendy stuck close to Cynthia.

"What have we here…?" A small, young voice spoke out amongst the soldiers. They all made a path to reveal the one the voice belonged to; Yukia of the Wizard Hunters. "Oh, looky here! Fairy Tail! Long time no see!"

"Tch…" Erza sucked her teeth. "So you know…"

"Know what?" Yukia's questioned with an innocent tilt of her head. With a shrug, she then ordered the soldiers to restrain the wizards with chains that disabled magic and follow behind her. "Ah, don't even worry about it. I'm sure Lady Nercon will be happy to see this!" The young ravenette turned and smiled to the two soldiers who found Fairy Tail. "Excellent work you two! You saved us a lot of work!"

"Of course, Yukia-san!" The shorter one spoke in a slightly off gruff tone, giving a firm nod after speaking. "Don't worry about them, we'll throw them in that little prison immediately!"

"Oh, don't worry about that. Get back to your post. I'll give them right to Lady Nercon and see what she has to say about it!" Yukia nodded, dragging the Fairy Tail bunch away.

.

.

A tall female with thigh high boots, a plain brown shirt, a large fancy coat, brown hair and red shades stood in the middle of the largest room at the top of the fort. In her hands was a clipboard, going over the various cargo being transported. "Hmm…this is excellent…"

"Oh lady Nercooooooooon!" Yukia cheerfully exclaimed while tossing the chained group of Fairy Tail wizards down on the floor. "Look what two competent soldiers found outside!"

"A few rats?" Nercon replied while adjusting her shades.

"I swear I'm gonna beat the crap outta you!" Natsu struggled within his chains, but it was clear that his strength was something to be weary of.

"Even when chained down he's still roaring to go…" Yukia said while placing her index finger on her cheek.

"My nose itches…" Happy complained while attempting to use his tail to scratch his nose, but sadly he was just unable to reach.

"I wonder where these little rats came from…" Nercon said before lying her eyes on Juvia and Erza. "Oh…what have we here…? These two look very nice…maybe if we put them in something a little sexier than that, they'll sell great for business…"

"W-What is that supposed to mean!?" Erza didn't understand the meaning of what Nercon was talking about.

"This is Erza Scarlet, and the other one is Juvia Lockser!" Yukia explained. "They both might do well for your little business, Nercon-san~"

"Hm…throw everyone but Erza and Juvia into the dungeon down below. I want to have some special time with those two elsewhere…" Nercon nodded and snapped her fingers.

"Yes, ma'am!" Yukia nodded, dragging everyone but Erza and Juvia off.

"W-Wait! Erza!" Cynthia attempted to struggle free from the binds, but even she was unable to free herself.

"Don't you dare touch them, you bastard!" Natsu screamed as they were dragged away.

"I see you always get all the fun, Yukia…" Yumia huffed, standing alongside Weavel and Marx.

"Sorry, sis!" Yukia winked. A short time later, she finally arrived at the underground dungeon, tossing the mages into separate cells. "There we go! You're not gonna be interfering with our plans this time, you obnoxious bunch! We had to face Lady Nercon's wrath last time since we couldn't grab what she ordered…"

"Just wait until we get out of here…" Gray glared towards the young hunter, who merely gave a giggle in response.

"Erza and Juvia may already be gone by the time you even get out!" Yukia chuckled before beginning to skip off.

"Dammit!" Natsu snarled before ramming headfirst into the bars, only to bounce right off, rolling across the cell before hitting the wall, steam comically emitting from the bruise on his cheek. "Ow…"

"Idiot…" Gray shook his head while attempting to pry off the chains around his wrists. "How did we get spotted so quickly…?"

"It didn't seem like they knew about the spy either…" Carla added. "I don't understand…"

"Wait, I hear someone coming…!" Wendy shushed the others, staring at the stairs at the end of the hallway. "Wait…two people…"

"I hear it too…" Cynthia nodded. A few minutes passed before two soldiers walked down, glancing at the trapped mages. "Oh…you must be the two that ratted us out!" She huffed. "Let us out now!"

"I can see that she's still impatient as ever…" The shorter one giggled slightly as she spoke in a familiar tone. "Sorry we had to rat you out, but there was no way you were getting inside with all that security. But…I wasn't expecting Nercon to take a liking to Erza and Juvia…"

"Wait a second…" Gray narrowed his eyes at the two soldiers. He noticed something off about them now that he was getting a good look. They were female, for starters. And their tone of voice was oddly familiar to his ears, though he just couldn't put his finger on it. "Who are you two…?"

"You smell familiar…" Natsu added.

"Well…" The taller one reached up and removed her helmet. Dark blue locks fell down to her waist, and Queen Tia let out a sigh of relief. "I hate that stuffy helmet…it's so hard to breathe in there. Oh, yes! Queen Tia is here, at your service!" Tia exclaimed with a bright smile.

"It's way too hot in the place…" Diamond Ice said as she removed practically the entire soldier uniform in preference to her tank top, short shorts, and sandals. "Ah…much better."

"Diamond-san! Tia-san!" Wendy was more than happy to see the two Dealer mages.

"So, you were the spies?" Gray questioned.

"Yeah, that's us…" Tia nodded. "Sorry, but we knew the only way to get you in here was to have you captured. In order to fool your enemies, you must first fool your friends….that's the saying, right?" After that, she drew her scepter and slashed the cage open, freeing the wizards from their restraints. "There we go!"

"Alright, finally!" Natsu hopped from the cage, pounding his fists together with an excited grin on his face. Flames began to ignite around his hands; he was ready to go. "Let's kick those Hunters' asses again! I'm all fired up!"

.

.

Next time: Battle in the Base!


	3. Chapter 2: Battle In The Base!

Erza and Juvia were chained up in a hidden room within the border base. These chains had magic sealing properties, and the girls were stripped down to nothing but their undergarments. Nercon placed a hand on her chin, looking the girls over. "Hmmm…just as I read in the magazine, both of you are very nice looking…" She continued to look them over, eventually walking over to Juvia who refused to look at her. Raising a hand, the brunette proceeded to slap Juvia's rear, causing a surprised yelp to escape the bluenette's lips.

"A-Ah! D-Don't do that! Only Gray-sama is allowed to touch Juvia's bottom!" Juvia exclaimed with a bright red face, fidgeting around in her chains as if she was looking for a way to escape.

"Let's see…you'll be quite popular, especially if we place you in a school girl's outfit…we'll need to find some men with a rear-end fetish, but that shouldn't be a problem…"

"Release us this instant!" Erza glared towards Nercon, but she didn't seem to pay any mind to the screaming red head.

"You two will do very nicely…I didn't think my operation out here would yield such a nice bonus~" Nercon chimed to herself. "Let's see what else you two have on you…"

"W-Wait!" Erza exclaimed. "Stop this….!"

.

.

"So how many people are we dealing with here?" Gray asked while stripping off his shirt unconsciously.

"There are a lot…" Diamond said while pulling up a lacrima blueprint of the building. "There are also a lot of floors between here and the top. Lady Nercon is in charge of this operation, and it appears as though she's hired those pesky Wizard Hunters to assist her…"

"Oh, I never got the chance to fight those guys!" Cynthia sounded rather excited due to the situation. "I was all beat up last time, but now it's time!"

"I was trying to forget about that situation…" Wendy said with a nervous sweat drop.

"What's that Nercon lady all about? Why did she take Erza and Juvia!?" Cynthia questioned. She was worried for the wellbeing of her comrades.

"You're a little too young to understand…" Tia replied while clearing her throat. "But let's just say we have to rescue them before she gets too attached…" Glancing around once more, Tia finally realized someone was missing. "Hey, wait…where's Lucy?"

"She went off on her own for somethin'…" Natsu spoke with a slight scoff. "She can handle herself; right now it's time to get busy! I'm sick of waiting!" With that, Natsu darted off from his current position and darted up the stairs.

"Natsu, wait…!" Tia shouted, but it was way too late. He was already gone. "Oh dear…"

"Hey, you bastards! I hope you didn't think you could keep me locked down forever!" And cue the fiery explosions right after Natsu exclaimed this, the screams of soldiers following after. The only thing that could be heard after was Natsu's maniacal laughter. "HAHAHAHAHAAA!"

"There he goes…" Carla said with a shake of her head.

"There's no way I'm letting that blowtorch take all the action!" Gray exclaimed while rushing right up the stairs.

"I guess we better follow them…" Tia said with a heavy sigh.

.

.

"Dazzling Blaze of the Fire Dragon!" Natsu exclaimed while hurling the giant sphere of flames forward towards the group of soldiers; a fiery explosion occurred, blowing them all away. "Get outta my way!" Flames then trailed behind Natsu's arms and he dashed forward, 'slashing' his foes with these wings of flames. "Fire Dragon's Wing Slash!" He wasn't finished yet; leaping into the air after his stop; cheeks began to puff out as orange flames began to take form around his mouth in the form of a vortex. "And! Fire Dragon's Roar!" Opening his mouth, the fire dragon slayer unleashed a gigantic funnel of flames towards the soldiers, capturing a large amount within the flames. "Where's Erza and Juvia?!" A small 'clink' sound occurred; looking down; Natsu noticed a knife hit the floor just before him. "Wha…" And boom, a sudden explosion of darkness threw Natsu backwards, but he managed to catch himself before falling over. "Guh?!"

"Now, what have we got going on here….?" Weavel questioned while walking down the stairs that lead to the second floor. "A little rat seemed to have escaped from his cage? That will never do…I suppose I'll just have to do a little extermination…I am known as a pest control specialist, after all…" The male smirked under his hood.

"Natsu!" The others exclaimed as they finally caught up to him.

"Eh…!" Diamond froze in her tracks, staring at Weavel with a nervous sweat drop. She remembered the last time they encountered each other and it wasn't in her favor.

"Oh, I see now…" Weavel said while eying Tia and Diamond. "It appears we've had little sneaky rats hiding right under our noses this entire time. Trying to stop the operation, are we? Well, I can't have that…"

"Don't take your eyes off me!" Natsu roared while aiming a fiery fist towards Weavel's face, but the swift hunter easily evaded it and countered with a roundhouse kick to Natsu's chest, sending the Salamander rolling away. "Gah!"

"Natsu!" Happy exclaimed in worry, flying over to Natsu. "Are you okay?!"

"I'm fine…" Natsu grunted.

"You won't be for long…" Weavel silently exclaimed while closing in the distance between himself and Natsu within a second, preparing to bring his foot down on Natsu. He was surprisingly stopped by Carla in her transformed state, bringing up her leg to counter the blow. "Disgusting shifting rat…" Weavel grunted before swiftly bringing up his free leg to harshly crash into Carla's side, sending the exceed tumbling along the ground.

"Carla…!" Wendy ran over to Carla. "Are you okay!?"

"I'm fine, really…" Carla gave Wendy a reassuring smile.

"Don't worry about this guy!" Gray said while standing up to the plate, glaring towards Weavel. "I'll take care of him. You guys go get Erza and Juvia!"

"You got this, Gray!" Cynthia exclaimed before leading the way up the stairs to the second floor.

"Cynthia, don't run ahead…!" Wendy hurried after Cynthia along with Carla.

"Sometimes I feel like we need to put a leash or something on that girl…" Carla groaned while following behind Wendy. Just behind them were Natsu, Happy, Tia, and Diamond.

"Be careful! He's really fast!" Diamond warned. "Like, really fast!" That was the only warning she could give Gray before hurrying up the stairs.

"Hmph…" Weavel merely shook his head at Diamond's warning. "You'd do well to heed the warning from the earth-bound spirit, ice mage. She didn't last a few minutes when we clashed months ago."

"You're joking, right?" Gray questioned with a sly grin. "I didn't even get the chance to even fight any of you when you thought it was okay to start kidnapping some of our nakama, and now I get the chance repay you for the 'care' you gave them!" With a flick of his wrist, Gray caused a glacier to form around Weavel to imprison him.

Weavel was nimble enough to evade the surprise attack, standing at the tip of the iceberg with no difficultly. "It'll take more than petty tricks like that to even begin attempting to halt me in my tracks."

"I'm just getting started!" Gray then placed his fist into his palm, a cold wind starting to fill the room. "Ice Make: Freeze Lancer!" A blue magic seal appeared before the wizard, unleashing a plethora of enlarged ice lances in Weavel's direction, attempting to converge on him from all angles.

"Hmph…" A slight smirk tugged at Weavel's lips as the ice lances hurtled in his direction. In one swift movement, he leapt from the glacier and towards the ice lances. As he ran past them, they began to shatter one by one. Weavel then passed Gray, standing a few feet behind the Ice Make Mage. "Get it now?"

"Wha…" Before Gray could finish, he felt an excruciating pain in his side, causing him to drop to a knee. "Gnk…! How did you…!?"

"That was just the warning slash…" Weavel spoke with a small chuckle.

.

.

"Hmm…?" Nercon turned away from Juvia and Erza upon hearing the slight ruckus going on outside. "Oh, it looks like there's quite the racket outside…" Giving a shrug, Nercon turned back to the two females. They were just hanging in their chains, hair creating a shadow over their eyes. Their bodies were marked with some bruises from the whip in Nercon's hands. "Now girls, are you going to listen to me?"

"You won't…get away with this…" Erza growled lowly towards Nercon.

"…." Juvia was just unconscious by this point; surprisingly she received most of the punishment Nercon delivered, probably to spite Erza since she could take more than Juvia.

"I have other ways of making you talk, dearies…don't make me be such a bad person~" Nercon mused with a sly grin. "It's a shame Juvia passed out, I was going to have a lot more fun with her just in front of you, since you're so resilient."

"Don't touch her!" Erza lurched forward threatening, only to be restrained by her chains. She was face to face with Nercon, who just gave a faux smile. "When I get out of these chains, I swear I'll make you pay for this…"

"Oh, I see you're still a little naïve on how the world truly works, Erza Scarlet~"

.

.

"Sky Dragon's Wing Attack!" Wendy threw her arms down, unleashing a powerful current of wind that rushed through the second floor of the base, throwing most of the soldiers helplessly into the air.

After Wendy knocked the soldiers into the air, Cynthia crouched down, red flames blazing behind her arms. "Omega Fire Dragon's Wing Slash!" The young wizard exclaimed while leaping into the air, spinning around to strike the helpless soldiers with her flames. After the strike, she landed on her feet, giving Wendy a thumbs up. "That's how it's done!"

"Those two are still in sync as ever…" Tia said with a small giggle.

"I don't think any duo can take them down so easily…" Diamond commented; of course her comment may have come a little too soon, as two pairs a footsteps could be heard walking down the stairs. "Ah…?"

"Oh man…what's all the racket down here…?" Yumia asked with her head tilted curiously. "Oh…OH! How did you get out of your cages!?"

"Yoohoo, little shits!" Diamond waved with a mock smile on her lips.

"Oh, it's the dead girl…and a friend…" Yukia sighed, shrugging her shoulders. "I knew something was a little off about you, the way you slugged around in that suit unlike most others. I thought it was just because you're a little on the weak side…"

"Oh you little…" Diamond puffed her cheeks out in annoyance.

"Get outta the way!" Natsu exclaimed, cheeks beginning to inflate. With no warning, he unleashed a Fire Dragon's Roar towards the elemental twins.

"Oh, please…" Yumia held her hand up, creating a blue magic seal. "Water Blade!" A sphere of water appeared on the girl's hand; she ran forward, cutting through the roar to reduce it to nothing but steam; on her way she struck Natsu in the chest, causing a powerful explosion of water to send the Salamander skidding back.

"I'll show you a water spell…!" Tia pointed her scepter forward before slamming it into the ground; a blue magic seal appeared, springing forth a tidal wave to crash on the two girls.

"Fire Tornado!" Yukia was up next, unleashing a powerful tornado of flames to counter the Tidal Wave, resulting in even more steam that filled the room completely.

"Gah, what's with all this steam…!?" Diamond groaned.

"Broiler Maker!" The two twins exclaimed in unison; suddenly the steam in the room heated up before it exploded violently, sending everyone on opposite sides of the room.

"Ouch…!" Happy groaned, feeling his fur and skin boil after such an attack. "My fur…!"

"That was something else…" Tia admitted while slowly picking herself up.

"You're not getting past us lovely ladies, you know! We are the ultimate duo, after all!" Yukia said with a wink. "So give up peacefully and head back into your cells."

"I don't think so…!" Cynthia sprang up, rolling her shoulders excitedly. "There's only one ultimate duo in this building, right Wendy!?"

"Mhm…!" Wendy nodded, standing right beside Cynthia. "We can take you both! Natsu-san! Please rescue Erza-san and Juvia-san!"

"Man, I wanna fight…!" Natsu groaned slightly, but he nodded to Wendy and Cynthia. "You two better win!" Now glancing back to Tia and Diamond, the fire dragon slayer nodded and lead the way up the stairs to the third floor.

"Ha, they don't stand a chance against you two." Carla nodded, keeping off to the side, yet was in a battle ready position just in case things did end up getting dicey for the two slayers.

"A battle between two teams, one beautiful and one not so much…" Yukia said with a sly grin and a giggle.

"I didn't know the enemy was handing out compliments!" Cynthia chimed in, nudging Wendy with her shoulder. "Not sure why she called herself ugly, I mean she looks just like her sister…"

"Okay listen here you twerp!" Yumia huffed, steam comically blowing from her ears at Cynthia's comment.

.

.

"Hmmm…" Ophelia tapped her foot on the floor, arms crossed while giving an impatient look to her subordinates. "I guess things are finally starting…good…I couldn't stand being around you for another second…" She turned her gaze to a male with black hair, a single strand falling in front of his face. This male was well built and slightly tall, wearing a soldier's uniform.

"I can't believe she picked her favorite to go on a special mission! I'm her favorite!" The male began to hug himself in a disturbing fashion. "Lady Desdemona picked me!"

"Listen here Kize, you little shit…" Ophelia said while rubbing her temples in annoyance. "I'm her daughter, therefore her favorite. She just wanted me to keep tabs on you since she's too busy herself; you're nothing but her little dog…" The end of her statement came with a small smirk.

"Oh…" After a pause, Kize smiled once again. "So that means she'll let me sit in her lap…?! Oh goodness…" He quivered after speaking, the mere thought of touching Desdemona sending a wave of euphoria through Kize's body. "How could something so beautiful produce something so…disgusting…" The last part his speech was directed towards Ophelia.

"Oh my goodness you're so helpless please help me…" Ophelia's tone of voice just sounded as if she was done with the entire situation. Raising a brow, her ears picked up noises from a few floors below. "Oh…? It looks like we can finally stop hiding now…" Preparing to issue a command, Ophelia began to speak out to her small band of subordinates. "Finally, it's time! Fukomakura, we're moving out!"

.

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Next time: The Big Brawl!


	4. Chapter 3: The Big Brawl!

"Sky Dragon's Claw!" Wendy exclaimed while rushing towards Yukia, a cyclone of wind swirling around her dominate leg. Once within range, she swung it towards the fire twin's face; Yukia blocked the hit by crossing her arms, sliding back a few inches. After the attack, Wendy leapt back to see the damage done, and unfortunately it wasn't much. "Ah…no effect?"

"Hm…" Yukia shook her arms after the attack, giving a shake of her head after. "That stung a little, but it's nothing I can't handle~!" After that, flames appeared on the ravenette's arm, and she darted towards Wendy with alarming speed. Before Wendy could react, Yukia slammed a flaming fist right at Wendy's cheek, sending the sky dragon spiraling backwards until she hit the floor. "Ohh, did I do that…?"

"Wendy…!" Cynthia turned upon seeing Wendy fly back, only to receive a kick to the face from Yumia, causing her to stagger backwards. "Oof…!"

"Keep your eyes on this cute little birdy!" Yumia chimed. "I'm not letting you get anywhere near my sister, you little fire ant!" After exclaiming such, she sprinted forward, raising a leg once close to deliver a powerful axe kick; only it was blocked by Carla's leg. "Eh!?"

"Go help Wendy!" Carla shouted while leaping back from Yumia, entering a fighting position.

"Right…! Thanks, Carla!" Cynthia nodded, hurrying over to Wendy's side.

"Stupid cat…" Yumia muttered while shaking her head. "I suppose it can't be helped…but you're looking a little dirty, so how about you take a bath!" A blue magic seal appeared below Carla, almost immediately unleashing a burst of scaling hot water upon the transformed Exceed. Carla let out a yelp of pain before being thrown off to the side, burn marks covering her.

"Carla…!" Wendy and Cynthia both exclaimed in worry while turning to see if Carla was alright; a grave error as the twin sisters took advantage to elbow both slayers in the face, sending them tumbling along the ground before sliding to a stop after catching themselves. "Ugh…"

"Blue Sphere!" Before they even had the chance to recover, a blue magic seal appeared above them, releasing a watery sphere that crashed onto the pair, releasing pained yelps; sending them backwards and into the wall.

"You two can't beat us!" Yukia chimed while holding her sister's hand. "We are always in perfect sync! Our biorhythm sing's in harmony~"

"These two are annoying…" Cynthia grunted in annoyance, slowly picking herself back up. "Are you okay, Wendy?" The female asked with a slight smile, acting as though the prior attacks didn't really do much at all, though they did hurt.

"I'm fine…" Wendy replied with a nod, now glaring over to the twins. "You hurt Carla…I won't let you get away with that!"

"Pfft, you haven't even touched us yet!" Yumia scoffed. "There's no way you'll be able to…"

As Yumia spoke, the dragon slayer pair of Fairy Tail began their counterattack; Cynthia dashed forward while Wendy stood behind, raising her arms above her head. "Sky Dragon's Wing Slash!"

"And…!" Cynthia was running just in front of the gust of wind, red flames blazing around her person. Bending her knees, she leapt forward headfirst, lunging towards the twins; the Sky Dragon's Wing Slash finally caught up, circling around Cynthia to increase her velocity. "Omega Fire Dragon's Sword Horn!" Before either of the twins could react, Cynthia slammed violently into Yukia, sending her hurtling backwards into the nearest wall.

"Yukia!" Yumia turned, a look of horror crossing her face upon seeing her sister get attacked.

"Sky Dragon's Crushing Fang!" Wendy took advantage of Yumia being off guard, swiping her wind covered fist at Yumia's face, sending her spiraling back right next to Yukia. "Sky Dragon's…"

Cynthia back flipped after striking Yukia, now hovering above Wendy while her cheeks began to inflate. "Omega Fire Dragon's…"

"ROAR!" The two girls proclaimed while opening their mouths, unleashing funnels of their respective magic; the two roars merged together midway through and struck the two cornered twins. The unison raid blew out the side of the building and continued for miles. When the roar finally faded, the two twins were Ko'ed, lying on top of one another with swirls replacing their eyes.

"Ha!" Cynthia flexed after the defeat the twins. "We sure told them!"

"You two are something else sometimes…" Carla said with a soft smile.

"I think we should go try to help the others…!" Wendy spoke with a firm nod.

.

.

"You can't keep up with me…" Weavel's voice echoed around the room as he appeared in a blur in every other location. "Give up now, Fairy Tail wizard…and I'll make this a swift finish…"

"Tch…" Gray didn't even bother trying to follow Weavel with his eyes; he knew such an attempt would be useless. "You think this is the first time I've dealt with a speedy bastard!?" With a sly grin, Gray placed his hands on the ground, creating a blue magic seal. "Ice Make: Floor!" The broken brick floor suddenly became coated in a thin layer of ice.

"Guh…!?" Weavel began to slip around on the ice, struggling to regain his balance for a second. "Trying to trip me up…I'm experienced, such a tactic will not work on me…!"

Two sharp blades of ice appeared on Gray's arms; once on his arm and the other on the opposing arm's elbow; he took a step before lunging towards Weavel. "Ice Blade: Seven Sided Dance!" Upon reaching the hunter, Gray began to spin around several times, aiming his blades at the hunter. To his surprise, only the second, fourth, and final hit landed. "Even on this ice…!?"

"Ha…!" Weavel swiped his hand, suddenly several slash marks appeared on the icy floor, shredding it to pieces. Ice no longer covered the floor, meaning Weavel had free mobility once again. "We've fought in your domain, now you shall fight in mind…enter the void…" A magic seal appeared in the air; steams of darkness slowly poured out of the seal, causing the room to darken until it was pitch black.

"Wha…?!" Gray looked around, only to find that he couldn't see a single thing around him. "What is…"

"This is my domain…the darkness…I flourish in this area…" Weavel's voice echoed in the darkness. "Gray Fullbuster of Fairy Tail…this is where you meet your end. But I will give you a merciful one; for you shall not see it coming."

.

.

"I…HATE….KIDS…." Diamond shouted angrily as she was bouncing around from the various balls Marx placed around. It wasn't just her; Natsu and Tia were uncontrollably bouncing around, leaving Natsu in a slightly helpless position due to his motion sickness. "STUPID…BRAT!"

"Hahahahaha!" Marx let out a cheerful, yet slightly insane laugh as the three mages were bouncing around. "Let's have some fun! I'm having a lot of fun!"

"HUrk…." Natsu's face was pale, cheeks sagging over as he desperately tried to get over his motion sickness weakness, but Marx had him in the palm of his childish hand.

"What even is this magic…!?" Tia was very irritated, and it showed. "No, you know what…? I don't even care, I just want out!"

"Come on, old hag! We haven't even started yet!" Marx exclaimed with a childish grin.

"OLD HAG!?" Oh, that was the last straw; Tia wasn't having it anymore. A flash of light covered her entire body; when it faded, she was in her notorious Queen's Armor. The bottom of her dress started to expand, suddenly unleashing a powerful electrical discharge that spread out to the bouncing balls in the area, popping them instantly. Once they were all gone, the trio fell onto the floor, and Tia returned to normal. "Now that THAT is over…"

"Y-YOU BIG MEANIE!" Marx started crying, wailing loudly to the point where it was actually annoying and painful to listen to.

"G-Geez….!" Diamond brought her hands to her ears, letting out a groan of pain. "Somebody shut this little shit up, please…!?"

"SHUT THE HELL UP…!" Natsu roared while lunging forward, slamming a fiery fist into Marx's face, sending the child rolling across the floor. At the very least, he shut up, but he was now quite angry at the trio.

"You…that's the last straw…" Marx spoke with a low, inhumane growl.

"Oh…here it comes…" Diamond gulped, silently preparing herself for what was about to occur. "I really don't wanna do this again…" The room began to quiver as a dark aura began to surround Marx. His form steadily began to shift, arms turning into wings, teeth sharpening into deadly fangs, eyes widening to something more feral and ferocious.

"W-Wait a second, this is a kid…!?" Tia wasn't so sure. Just then, several vines and thorns began to rise up from the ground, catching everyone off guard; they scattered into separate directions. "Hey, what the hell!?"

"Oh boo…I missed…" Ophelia let out a false sigh of disappointment while walking into the room from a side hallway.

"Who the hell do you think you are…!?" Diamond shouted angrily towards Ophelia, but before she knew it, Tia held her hand out protectively in front of Diamond. "Tia…?"

"Don't…she's…different…" That was all Tia could manage.

"HEY!" Marx's voice deepened to something almost demonic. He glared towards Ophelia, only to back off upon getting the same feeling as Tia. "N-Never mind…"

"Eh?" Natsu wasn't one for reading the vibe too well. He did notice that Ophelia was clearly different than any mage he'd come across so far. There was something about her that rubbed him the wrong way. She didn't smell human, for starters. "Who are you?"

"Hmmm…" Ophelia sauntered into the room as if she owned the entire fortress. Tilting her head after examining the mages, she finally decided to answer Natsu. "You may refer to me as Ophelia, you pathetic human."

"Oh, she's one of these…" Diamond rolled her eyes.

"Ssshh…" Tia's voice was more strict than usual. She was really worried about Ophelia.

"Just 'cause you're not human doesn't give you the means to look down on us…" Natsu said with a glare, pounding his fist into his palm. "I've beaten a few demons before, what makes you think you're special?"

"Ha…" Ophelia let out a small giggle towards Natsu's statement, brushing it off with a dismissive wave of her hand. "That's cute. I think your other two friends are trapped in here, no? I think I'll kill that Nercon chick and have a little fun with them…I wonder if you'll be able to smell their blood from down here?" The green haired female laughed before making her way to the stairs, which led to the top floor.

"DON'T YOU DARE LAY A FINGER ON THEM!" Natsu roared while lunging forward, flames surrounding his fist. Once he got close to Ophelia, he swung, but to his surprise she moved way before he was even close to making contact. A complete whiff, but that's not what caught him off guard. "Uh..!? You smell like…"

"Like I said…" Bringing her heel up, Ophelia slammed it into Natsu's chest, sending him sliding across the ground before he eventually lost his balance and tumbled along the floor. "That's cute."

"Natsu!" Happy flailed in worry, rushing over to Natsu's side.

"Oh, Kize…how about you make yourself useful for once?" Ophelia crossed her arms, tapping her foot impatiently on the floor.

"Don't rush me, only Desdemona can tell me what to do!" Kize exclaimed with a quiver in his voice at the mention of Desdemona; walking out, glancing over all the mages in the room, rubbing his hands together in an insane diabolical manner. "Oh, are they all mine!?"

"All yours, go wild…" Ophelia said with an eye roll. "I have some victims I have to go tend to…" With that, Ophelia began her way to the stairs. "Oh, Fairy Tail, Dealer…Even you, small Hunter. Feel free to kill him if you want, I don't really care." And up the stairs she went.

"She doesn't even care for her own comrade?!" This irritated Diamond.

"Hey, get back here!" Natsu darted off after Ophelia, Happy flying behind him. The second they made it to the staircase, thorns began to emerge in attempt to block off their path. Natsu grabbed Happy, twisting his body in an awkward way to slip through the thorns without getting hurt, landing on the other side. "Let's go!"

"Aye sir!" Happy nodded, following right behind Natsu.

"Hey, kid!" Kize walked over to the transformed Marx, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Now, look here…you don't like them, I don't like them…let's say we form a small pact to get rid of these two, huh!?"

"They're meanies! Let's do it!" Marx gave a nod of agreement, which caused Tia and Diamond to go on guard once again.

"Awesome!" Kize grinned; a magic seal then appeared on Marx's shoulders. "Friendship headbutt!" Kize reared his head back before brutally slamming it into Marx's forehead, crushing the kid into the ground, clearly dazed. Blood trickled down Kize's forehead, but he didn't seem to mind.

"O-OW?!" Marx cried out.

"Oh, I'm sorry…" Kize said while walking to the nearest wall, actually dislocating his arm, causing Marx to feel the same pain; he then began rearing his head back once again. "Once again!" Slamming his face into the wall, the same pain seem to be registered to Marx, who let out a shriek of pain before passing out cold, the magic seal on his arm fading away.

"W-What the hell kind of magic is that?!" Tia said while taking a step back. "He only hit him once…but then he hurt himself and knocked out the kid!?"

"I don't like the way this guy works…" Diamond admitted while standing her ground. "Those two better be okay…"

"Now then, ladies…" Popping his arm back into place with no look of pain of discomfort whatsoever, Kize turned to Diamond and Tia, grinning like a mad man. "Who wants to be next?"

.

.

Ophelia and Kize make their move! Will Natsu be able to beat Ophelia to Erza and Juvia, or has Nercon already gotten to them!? New foes emerges from the darkness, aiming to take down Fairy Tail and Dealer, will the wizards be able to defend themselves and escape?!

Next time: Insane Sensory!


	5. Chapter 4: Insane Sensory!

"Agh…" Solemnly walking out of the White Eclipse guild, Luke Cloud placed his hand in his pockets. Gently kicking the snow before he sat down on the stairs leading to the door, all he could do was just stare out into the falling snow.

"You too, huh?" Selene walked out, sitting right beside Luke while letting out a heavy sigh.

"It just hasn't been the same since the old man died…" Luke commented, not even bothering to look at Selene. "Master Calium was such a good man…it's a shame someone like him was caught with old age and incurable sickness…"

{Flash back}

Master Calium sat in a bed, clinging onto life with his own magic as life support. Around the bed in the infirmary stood nearly all of the White Eclipse guild members (except for Sidney, the Ace); they knew this was coming one day, but they weren't ready for it to happen. Still, the old man faced his children with a slight smile, for it was all he could muster. "I don't have much longer to spend with you all, my children…but I want you to know that I'm proud of each and every one of you. You've come…a long way since joining this guild, you know?" And after he spoke, he began coughing profusely.

"M-Master…please…" Aira could hardly hold back the tears. "I…I did everything I could…I should've tried harder…maybe I could've…"

"No…" Reve shook his head, stopping Aira right there. "We knew this was coming…we knew there was no way to stop it…" Now the S class was averting his gaze from the scene; he was one of the six originals of the guild, he knew Calium the longest. Even though most everyone was on the same level of sadness, Reve, Waiston, Kuro, Zalen, and Royal were on a completely different level. None of them were able to even try hiding it.

"You brats…you've all grown…" Calium's coughing was uncontrollable by this point, yet he still forced the smile on his lips. "I'm proud of you all…but now…my time at White Eclipse is over…the rest is up to you…" As he spoke, his body slowly started to deteriorate into black and white particles. "Farewell, White Eclipse…continue to grow strong…" And with that, Calium's body finally disappeared, while everyone standing around began to cry. Yes, Reve, Luke, Cygnus, Aira, Selene; everyone shed tears at the passing of White Eclipse's first master.

"Thank you…old man…" Reve actually spoke out words of gratitude in honor of Master Calium, wiping the tears from his face shortly after, but they still fell. "THANK YOU, CALIUM!"

{End Flashback}

"I was hoping we'd get out of that last incident without any losses, but I guess that was too much to ask for…" Luke let out another sigh once again.

"I'm sure things will get better…" Selene patted Luke's shoulder, giving him a reassuring smile. "We always get through the tough times…we just have to stick together now more than ever, okay?"

.

.

Lucy poked her head into a cave; apparently this is where her intended target was hiding out. "This place gives me the creeps…" Muttering to herself, she slowly stepped inside the cave. The humidity was high and the cave itself was very damp. "Oh, gross…" It was then that some slime fell onto her shoulder; with a comedic shudder crawled up her spine and she yelped, frantically hopping around in attempt to remove the slime off her. "Gross…gross….gross! That's disgusting…!" In her failing around, she hit her back on a cave wall, falling right to her face. "Why me…" She silently wondered before picking herself back up. With all the inconveniences out of the way, it was finally time to resume her solo job so she could rub it in Natsu's face. "All right Lucy, let's do this!"

.

.

"Who are these guys…?!" Gray questioned in the midst of the lower guild members of Fukomakura flooding the first floor. The fight with Weavel was postponed due to these intruders, and neither mage looked too happy about it.

"More intruders…" Weavel sounded just as irritated as Gray, but he still kept his attention on the ice make wizard. "We're not done here, Fullbuster. I'll deal with this walking trash after I slice that head of yours from your shoulders. I'm sure it'll catch a nice price somewhere in Iceberg…"

"There's no time to deal with all you idiots at once…" Gray muttered while placing his fist into his palm, a cold wind once again blowing through the area. "I'm taking you all out in one fell swoop…Ice Make…" Two blades of ice formed in Gray's hand as he began dashing forward. "Bringer!" In one swift slash, Gray managed to eliminate the grunts of the mysterious guild, and Weavel who didn't see such an attack coming. Letting the ice blades disperse, Gray let out a sigh of relief before dashing up the stairs, only to meet with Wendy and Cynthia. "Oi, are you guys okay!?"

"We're fine, Gray-san!" Wendy nodded, pointing to Yumia and Yukia. "Those two are just...eh…something else?"

"Oof…How rude…" Yumia huffed, sitting cross legged on the floor next to her sister.

"Honestly, we're just a pair of adorable twins!" Yukia replied.

"Right…well, anyway, we don't have time to mess around!" Gray pointed down the stairs he just came from. "Some other people are in here, and they don't look like friendlies to me."

"More intruders?!" Yukia groaned. "But I didn't even see anyone before you trolls…!"

"Wait…" Cynthia tilted her head. "Wendy and I haven't seen anyone…so that means that Natsu and the others are in danger!"

"We have to hurry!" Wendy exclaimed. "I have a bad feeling…"

.

.

Pulling out a bladed staff from behind his back, Kize pointed to the two females, Diamond and Tia with a grin. "Ladies first! …Oh, too late!" Placing a hand on his chest, Kize created a small white circle there; following up, he slammed the pointed end of his staff into the ground. "Abyss: Shatter!" From there, the floor began to violently break apart, especially near the two girls, shooting jagged stones towards them.

"Watch out…!" Tia exclaimed; she and Diamond leapt to opposite sides. Tia reacted first by pulling out her scepter once again, unleashing a high pressurized stream of water towards Kize that tore through the broken floor.

"Ha!" Kize let out a laugh as the stream of water came his way. Pulling his staff from the ground, he swung it in a diagonal motion. "Clear Water!" It all happened in a flash; the next thing anyone knew, Diamond swapped places with Kize, now leaving her in range of Tia's attack.

"Wha…!?" Diamond had to time to register watch just occurred; she was blown away by Tia's own attack and sent into a wall.

"HA! Looking a little wet there!" Kize would just not stop with these puns.

"Diamond…!" Feeling a slight surge of anger from such a dirty trick, Tia swung her scepter at Kize once again, but he blocked it with his staff. Tia caught the upper hand with a back handed swing, slamming the tip of her staff into the back of Kize's head, crushing him into the floor. That very same instant contact connected, she felt that exact pain, and gripped her head in agony. "OW…W-what the hell…!? It's that same magic…"

"Wow! That hurt!" Kize hopped right up with a wide grin towards Tia. "You have a fierce swing, lady! But let me show you mine!" Placing his staff into the ground, a blood red magic seal formed, shaking the floor violently. "Suicide Rush!" And suddenly, a violently explosion occurred, consuming Tia whole.

"T-Tia…!" Diamond yelped while picking herself back up.

"Woo! That was a blast, don't you think!?" Kize grinned at the cloud of smoke, though that grin faltered slightly when it faded. Tia was in her Queen's armor, though various pieces of it were broken due to the explosion. "Oh?"

"You're exceptionally annoying…" Tia growled before placing her staff into the ground, creating a blue magic seal. "I'll just beat you and pass out after, since that's how your magic seems to work…"

"If you think you're just gonna get hits for free, you've got another thing coming! The only one who can hit me to their heart's content is my queen!" Kize exclaimed, preparing to leap away…only to find that diamonds glued his feet to the ground, making it impossible to move. "Hey!"

"Drown." Tia spoke in a low, threatening tone, yet there was also the slightest grin on her face; a sadistic one. "Tidal Wave!" The magic seal began to rotate rapidly, water soon flooding the room. "Diamond, cover your mouth!" Tia commanded. With a nod and a deep inhale, Diamond did as Tia requested. Diamonds formed along her face and nose, keeping an airtight lock around her face. Kize was the one who was now unable to breathe, causing his lungs to start burning. Though Tia didn't have any issues underwater, and faced Kize with a smirk. "Oh, what's wrong? Where's that little confidence of yours? Your sense link magic can't give damage without you taking any, right? Well, if you're suffering from natural causes such as drowning, there's no one to really share that pain with, huh?"

"Tia's amazing…she found a weakness right after experimenting against her opponent…" Diamond thought to herself.

Though Kize looked like he was having fun. There was a big grin on his face as he actually attempted to speak within the water. Raising his staff, he sliced through the water with his pointed end, causing a divide. The water dispersed, leaving Tia wide eyed. Coughing, Kize continued to grin towards Tia. "Come on, is that all! I was actually starting to like it! It was rather…breathtaking…!"

.

.

"There seems to be quite the commotion outside…" Nercon sighed, adjusting her red tinted glasses. Both Erza and Juvia seemed to be unconscious after what Nercon put them through, but she seemed to be pleased nonetheless. "Tough employees, but I'll break your will soon enough, no matter what I have to do…" She turned to exit the room and prepare her exit, but the wall was broken through by Natsu who hit the opposite wall. "Oh…?" Nercon turned her head, only to see Ophelia dusting her hands off through the Natsu shaped hole in the wall.

"Do we have to keep repeating this?" Ophelia questioned with a bored look on her face. "You're starting to become dull, Dragneel…you just charge in and attack blindly, and I just knock you away…we can do this all day but eventually I'm going to crack that skull open."

"Grrr…." Natsu stood up, glaring towards Ophelia. He then noticed that Erza and Juvia were right there, while Nercon silently made her exit due to not wanting to deal with such rabble. Hopping forward, he swung his legs towards the chains that bound the two females to free them; he then crouched down, flames flaring all around his body. Pushing forward, he lunged headfirst towards the mysterious being. "Fire Dragon's Sword Horn!"

"You don't learn…" Ophelia sighed and just waited for Natsu to near; at the literal last second she slammed her fist across his back, sending the Salamander hurtling into the ground, kicking up some dust.

"N-Natsu…!" Happy flailed, flying over to his companion. "Are you okay!?"

"Pathetic…" Waving a dismissive hand, Ophelia took a few steps back before snapping her fingers; various rose buds popped up from the ground, all pointing towards Natsu, Happy, Erza, and Juvia. "I'll just wipe you all out right here and save myself the trouble. Rose Gun: Barrage!" The buds opened up, immediately unleashing rapid fire beams of raw demon curse power upon the four.

"WAAAAH…!" Happy flailed, seeing no other way to defend against this attack. It was all until a figure stood forward. "Wha…!?"

Erza was awake, now standing in her Adamantine Armor, defending everyone against the beams of raw curse power. She looked back to Natsu and Happy with a slight grin, following with a nod. "Sorry to be late…" Erza responded. The rapid fire eventually died down, and Erza uncrossed her shield.

"Oh…?" Ophelia quirked a brow. "What have we here?"

A heavenly glow appeared around Erza's body for only a split second; when it faded, she was standing in her Heaven's Wheel armor. Pointing her right arm forward, the blade just inches away from Ophelia's neck. "The wrath of Fairies."

"What's a Fairy to a demon…?" Ophelia replied with the slightest of smirks, staring right into Erza's eyes with her own pink oculars. "But more importantly, what's a Fairy to a Wraith…?"

.

.

The battle has reached its climax! Which side will turn the tides for a victory!?

Next time: Wraith!


	6. Chapter 5: Wraith

"A Wraith…?" The unfamiliar term caused Erza's brows to furrow. "What is that…and who are you?"

"All you need to know is…" Ophelia began while waltzing around the room as if she owned the fort, giving Natsu, Happy, and Erza a condescending grin. "I'm superior to you humans in every way…not just humans, but any demons too."

"Another race!?" Happy flailed his arms around comically.

"Ha!" Natsu scoffed, pounding his fist into an open palm. "Doesn't matter to me! We've beaten demons, so we'll wipe the floor with you Draiths too!"

"Wraith…" Ophelia's left eye twitched in the slightest irritation. "And you don't have to worry about that. There are only two of us…but I'm the only one you're going to be meeting, since you're not going to survive this encounter; not you, or your little friends downstairs."

"Oh yeah…? What makes you say that?" Erza questioned. "Diamond and Tia are quite powerful, you know."

"As if I care…" Ophelia replied while waving a dismissive hand. "They likely won't beat Kize without killing themselves…that would be the best scenario possible…" That last statement was more for herself than the others. Bringing herself back, she raised her hand, closing it into a tight fist. "As for you three…I'll eat you alive right here!" The building began to rumble; from the very depths of the earth beneath the fortress, a large plant sudden sprouted to the very top floor, wreaking havoc on the floors below. The plant opened up, a large gaping maw shown gathering raw curse power, which took the form of a destructive beam as it launched towards the group.

"W-What the?!" Erza's eyes widened at the giant plant; she acted quickly, leaping over to the right while Natsu took to the left to avoid the beam. Happy grabbed Juvia and flew off to the sidelines to avoid being in the crossfire. "What is that thing!?"

"My favorite plant…" Ophelia replied with an innocent smile.

"I'll burn it to a crisp!" Natsu was quick to shift to the offensive, darting forward while orange flames flared around his body. Flames focused around his hands as he leapt into the air, generating a large sphere of flames above his head. "Dazzling Blaze…of the Fire Dragon!" Natsu threw his arms down, sending the ball of flames hurtling towards the giant plant. Impact was successfully made, causing a fiery explosion in the room.

"Tch…!" Ophelia brought one hand up to shield her face from the wind kicked up from the explosion. Erza was next, using the smoke to shield the light from her Requip; now donned in her Flight Armor, Erza used the speed to close the distance between herself and the Wraith within a second, bringing down the lance form her Lightning Empress Armor to pierce through Ophelia's chest. Much to Erza's surprise, Ophelia grabbed the lance just before it struck her chest, unfazed by the lightning coursing through the weapon. "Ha…"

"She caught it…" Erza stood wide eyed; there was no way anyone could react to such an attack so quickly, even if they weren't human.

"Why are you so surprised?!" With a sadistic grin, Ophelia pivoted on her heel and slammed Erza into the floor with her weapon, now wielding the Lightning Lance for her own usage. "This is a nice weapon you have here. Titania, I hope you don't mind me using it!" Stabbing the tip of the lance into the ground, an electrical shockwave shot out, covering a wide radius while destroying the top floor of the fortress. Erza and Natsu were blown away by the sheer power Ophelia infused into Erza's weapon.

.

.

"Gah!?" Gray, Wendy, Cynthia, and Carla were all stopped on the second floor by the giant plant literally sprouting through the middle of the building into the top floor. "What the hell is that thing!?" Gray questioned.

"A-A giant plant…but where did it come from?" Carla looked around, noticing the building was slowly beginning to fall apart from the stress.

"This place is going to collapse soon…we have to grab the others and run…!" Wendy pointed out.

"What is that idiot doing upstairs…?" Gray growled slightly, figuring that only Natsu would be able to cause someone to tear the building they were fighting apart, if it wasn't the Salamander himself.

"Come on guys, let's get going!" Cynthia darted up the stairs, the others following right behind her. Once reaching the third floor, they spotted Tia and Diamond dealing with Kize, though they were separated by the giant plant's stem that also intruded that floor. "Whoa, what's going on here!? Tia, Diamond!?"

"Ah…." Tia turned to the trio, pointing to the giant plant. "Does anyone know what the hell this thing is!? It just came out of nowhere!"

"It's really distracting!" Diamond continued.

"HAHA!" Kize let out a hearty laugh. "Looks like Ophelia's having a little bit of fun…she shouldn't be having any more fun than me…" His laugh turned into a growl, brushing off the dirt off his outfit. "This has been a disaster…she's going to still Lady Desdemona's love and affection from me once again…GAH!"

"This guy has completely lost it…" Diamond said with an exasperated sigh.

"I don't think he ever had anything to lose to begin with…" Tia also let out a sigh, but the rumbling of the building brought the pair back to their senses. "Wait, is this building about to collapse!?"

"HA!" Kize laughed, mood shifting almost instantaneously. "She's gonna bring the house down! …With me in it. Is she trying to kill me?!" Glancing around, Kize spotted a closed window. With a grin, he took a step back before darting towards the window, leaping into a cannonball position and crashing right through the window, glass shattering. "OH, OW! FANTASIC! WHY DID I DO THIS?!" Was the last thing Kize was heard saying before he vanished from sight.

"What a freak…" Cynthia shook her head.

"I don't think we should be standing here wasting time, we have to get to the others upstairs!" Carla shouted.

"Natsu-san and the others…!" Wendy said while frantically pointing at the stairs.

"That strange girl…I have a bad feeling about this…let's hurry…" Tia nodded.

.

.

"Kanso!" A heavenly light once again wrapped itself around Erza's body for a brief moment; when it faded, she was donning her Heaven's Wheel armor, a circle of blades levitating around her person. With a single arm pointed forward, the ring of blades began to charge Ophelia, attempting to pierce the mysterious being with each blade. After each and every blade was sent, Erza herself flew forward, attempting a cross slash on Ophelia.

"Thorns…" Ophelia muttered with a flick of her wrist, summoning a wall of thorns that appeared from thin air to shield her from the incoming blades. After this, she clenched her hand, causing the thorns that protected her to scatter violently. "Thorn Cannon!"

"Gah!?" Erza found herself cut off, using her swords to deflect the violently charging spikes coming her way. Some managed to graze her armor and skin, but she fought through the pain as always.

"Secret Art!" Natsu exclaimed from above, flames flaring around his body like a dangerous wildfire, focused especially around his arms; this grabbed Ophelia's attention, causing her to look up at the incoming fireball. "Fire Dragon: Crimson Lotus, Exploding Flame Blade!" Spinning his body in a counterclockwise rotation, unleashing a violent torrent of dragon fire towards Ophelia. When it connected with her position, there was nothing but charred floor. "HA!" Landing, Natsu wore a smug grin, believing he burnt Ophelia to ash. "How was that!?"

"Did he get her!?" Happy stared in awe.

"Oh, I almost felt that one…!" Ophelia stated while clapping from the left. Her voice caused everyone to turn immediately, all shocked that she was unscathed from Natsu's surprise attack. "You might have singed one of my hairs if I wasn't careful…" The Wraith began playing with her curly, dark green locks, twisting her index finger around in them.

"How did she evade that…?" A somewhat conscious Juvia finally muttered.

"It's a little secret called time…" Ophelia left it at that, giving a sinister chuckle in the midst of being ominous and cryptic. "But I'm tired of simply stepping back from all your attacks…so how about we have a little fun on my playground?" Ophelia stated while raising her hand, creating a rose bud in the shape of a shotgun. "Let's see if you can take this…" She was well aware of the building slowly collapsing, but it didn't bother her. Taking aim at Natsu, she fired a condensed beam of raw curse power towards the Salamander. It was so quick he didn't have any time to react, and it struck him right in the chest, causing him to tumble backwards, landing on the floor on his back. "Teehee…" With a giggle, Ophelia shifted her aim towards Erza and fired another shot, forcing Titania into a wall with a pained grunt.

"Natsu…Erza!" Happy flailed, only to see that Ophelia shifted her aim towards him. "G-Gah…!"

"…." Turning quickly to the stairs, Ophelia fired a shot there. Cynthia tackled Wendy down to the ground as the bullet flew right over them, hitting the base of the stairs and caused it to collapse. "Little rodents…"

"W-Whoa…she looks freaky…!" Cynthia exclaimed, only to slap her hand over her mouth; she didn't mean to sound rude, but Ophelia just giggled.

"Oi…" Gray grit his teeth at the Wraith, placing his hands into the maker position.

"Gray-sama!" And Juvia's exhausted look turned into one of joy.

"Now it's just starting to get a little too crowded for my tastes…" Ophelia sighed heavily before pointing her shotgun down at the floor. "Boom." Clicking the trigger, a large beam of curse power shot through the floors, obliterating each and every one before reaching the bottom, where a large explosion occurred. The building's structure was incredibly weakened now, trembling as it threatened to give way any second.

"W-What are you doing?!" Tia questioned.

"Making my exit! Be sure to scream for me when the building falls on you~" Aiming up at the roof now, she fired another shot to completely obliterate it with ease, using a surprising jumping prowess to make her exit.

"W-We've got to get out of here! This building won't last much longer…!" Carla flailed around while trying to find her balance. Before anyone could say much else, the building completely collapsed. Dust settled, and the diamond dome that shielded the group from the rubble slowly began to disperse.

"Whew…that was too close…" Diamond let out a heavy sigh while dusting herself off. "It looks like everyone's gone…"

"What do we do now…?" Wendy questioned while picking up Carla.

"We go back and report to Master," Erza said with a nod, now looking over to Tia and Diamond. "Would you two like to stop by and say hello? I'm sure everyone would like to see you."

"Sure, I want to see the others again. It's been a while…" Tia nodded, displaying a bright smile.

"I'm still not used to that…" Diamond giggled softly, nudging Tia with her elbow. "Let's get going…"

.

Near the remains of the building, the group of Wizard Hunters looked on and sighed. "Man…that went terribly…and Lady Nercon poofed, so we don't even get our pay!" Yumia huffed, kicking a nearby rock, only to stub her toe on it. "Ow, ow, ow…!"

"Oh…this stinks…" Yukia sighed, crossing her arms.

"Today was a failure of a day…let us return to the base and accept the punishment for failure…" Weavel emotionlessly began the walk back to the Wizard Hunter hideout.

.

"Well…this was an unfortunate turn of events…" Nercon sighed while adjusting her glasses. "I nearly broke Miss Lockser, and Miss Scarlet was well on her way…she would've been a fun one to crush…" With a shrug, the woman with a mysterious origin began her own walk back with a few armored soldiers by her side. "Well, My King will just have to handle the employees I pick up on the way…"

.

.

"I see you've taken a liking to smiling, Tia!" Mirajane said with a bright smile towards Tia. "I can see that happiness is now plastered allll over that face of yours. Moping around never suited you to begin with, you know."

"O-Oh stop…" Tia brushed off Mirajane's comment, though there was a slight pink hue coloring her cheeks. "Ace just told me I'd get frown lines if I kept being all doom and gloom…so…yeah…."

"When confronted about it, she always shy's away…isn't it adorable?" Diamond asked Mira, who gave a giggle and a nod in return.

"So, how is everyone else fairing? It's been some time since we've heard from Dealer…" Mira asked while cleaning the bar counter.

"Jack is still a little hot headed…Ace is out doing missions who knows where…he's hardly around, but more than he used to be…" That last statement was obviously Tia attempting to hide her feelings about it. "Ah…Heartless is currently the guild master…Spade and Strong are still hard workers. It's nice…seeing everyone happy…Oh my god you've all turned me into a freakin' sap…"

"Giheh, that's what happens when you hang around that blonde for too long…" Gajeel made his comment from afar, which resulted in Levy slamming her purse into his face, causing the might iron slayer to collapse on the ground comically.

"Speaking of Lu-chan…" Levy looked around, a look of worry crossing her face. "Where is she…? She should be back by now…"

"Yes…" Erza looked around, arms crossed. "I wanted to share today's briefing when everyone was around…"

"I also have some news I wish to share…some very important news…" Makarov grumbled from within his mug of beer. "I hope nothing happened…" And as Makarov said that, the doors to Fairy Tail slowly opened.

"Oh, there she is…!" Cana stood up to get a better look at Lucy, only for her eyes to widen. "L-Lucy…!?"

Lucy was covered in bruises, large cuts, and her clothing was torn in various places. She was even standing in small pool of her own blood as she trudged through the front doors. Her usual brown eyes had a slight red tint that turned gray almost instantly, granting her a lifeless expression. "….." Lucy then took one step forward before collapsing.

"LUCY!"

.

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Next Time: A Letter of Request!


	7. Chapter 6: Letter of Request

"Ngh…" Lucy blinked awake slowly, vision blurry.

"She's waking up…!" Wendy exclaimed, finally removing her hands and her healing magic as a result. "Lucy-san, are you okay?!"

"Uh…" Lucy nodded slowly, beginning to get her bearings straight. "I don't know…?" She looked around her body, taking note of all the bandages around her body. "…What happened…?"

"What do you mean what happened…?" Carla questioned. "Don't you remember? You walked into the guild and collapsed!"

"You also had this sort of lifeless look in your eyes…it had us all worried…" Wendy said while looking over Lucy's injured body just to make sure everything was all right. "Are you sure you're fine? I can heal you some more…"

"I'm fine…" Lucy was certain. "I just…wish I could remember what happened…everything gets all hazy after I stepped off the train…"

"Don't worry about it for now!" Wendy demanded, attempting to sound like an actual doctor here. "You'll put strain on yourself if you try to remember, so just focus on recovering, okay?"

"Okay Wendy…" Lucy let out a small laugh at Wendy's demand; she was just too cute to refuse. "I'll rest…where is everyone else…?"

"In the guild hall." Wendy responded. "Master is about to make an announcement…I wonder what it is…"

"Here…help me up to the guild hall; I want to hear this too…" Lucy said while attempting to stand up.

"N-Not so fast!" Wendy flailed, attempting to support Lucy but failing horribly so far.

"Oi, oi…" Tia walked in, placing a hand on her forehead while shaking her head. "No one's going anywhere…" Tia then became the one Lucy rested on, letting out a soft sigh. "There."

"Tia…? What are you doing here?" Lucy questioned, beginning to slowly walk alongside Tia out of the infirmary.

"We were helping Erza out with a little mission…it got a little more hectic than we originally thought it was," Tia explained. "It would've been nice to see you there, instead of walking into the building the way you did. Either way, I'm glad to see you're alive." Bringing Lucy into the main hall, she sat her down at a table, glancing over to Makarov. "She's up and walking now, sir. I think it's time to fill everyone in on this news?"

"Thank you, Tia…" Makarov nodded, standing on top of the bar to gather everyone's attention. In his hand, there was a green envelop in his hands. "Ahem…" Clearing his throat, the Sixth master waved his hand around to show the letter. "Attention, my children. Just a few hours ago, a strange letter was dropped off at the doorsteps of the guild. I read its contents, and I believe it's something we should all hear and decide on before taking action."

"Let's hear it, old man. Not getting any younger here." Laxus commented from the second floor.

"Of course…" Makarov nodded, opening the envelop and taking out the letter inside. "This is the contents of this letter:

Hello, Fairy Tail Guild. I write this letter to you in a state of near urgency. My kingdom is in danger, and I worry that I do not have the manpower to fight off this threat that will eventually attempt to destroy Earthland itself. So, I extend a hand to the Fairy Tail guild in hopes that you will accept my request to stave off this impending war. I know it may seem like much, but I believe you are the only guild capable of this. Should you accept this request, I will have an informant meet you at the nearest port city. They will explain the rest to you there."

"O-Oi…" Gray rubbed the back of his head, not sure how to react to such a request. "That's a lot in one letter…I'm surprised they asked for us…what exactly is going on?"

"I don't like the idea of agreeing to something when we don't even know the details of it…" Erza came to the logical conclusion, and it seemed that a few others agreed with her. "But at the same time, they're really reaching out to use for help over this situation…"

"They seem desperate, actually…" Diamond couldn't help but comment, even though this situation didn't exactly concern her.

"Does this mean we get to beat people up!?" Natsu grinned excitedly, pounding his fists together. He was always itching for a fight but what else was new?

"Calm down, hot head…" Gray scoffed at Natsu's eagerness.

"I think we should at least hear what's going on, don't you, Master?" Mirajane put in her piece. "It wouldn't feel right just denying them…maybe they didn't have much time and could only give us the basics of the situation…?"

"Let's not forget they requested all of the guild, as odd as that may sound…" Freed said while reviewing the contents of the letter. "It could be a trap."

"This is also true…Freed's got a pretty good hunch right there, babies!" Bickslow said with his signature "Hyahaha!" following right after.

"So…how does this sound…half of us will go, and the other half will remain at the guild. When the truth has been revealed, we'll call the other half over as backup?" Erza suggested.

"I believe that is the perfect solution. I will also be accompanying the team going towards the dock, and I will hand pick those members myself." Makarov nodded. "Erza, Natsu, Cynthia, Wendy, Cynthia, Juvia, Gajeel, Gray, Laxus…and…" He glanced towards Lucy, giving a concerned look. "Are you well enough to move, Lucy? If not, you can stay here."

"I'm fine!" Lucy nodded, standing up only to wince slightly after. "Totally fine…"

"Idiot…" Tia pinched the bridge of her nose, shaking her head as she stood up. "I'll help her walk over there…it's not really smart to bring her along, but she's stubborn sometimes…"

"I am not…" Lucy huffed.

"Giheh…" A sly grin slowly began to form on Gajeel's lips. "This sounds like it'll be pretty fun…I'm hoping it's a trap, I can't wait to kick some butt…"

"We're not acting rash, Gajeel," Makarov shot a glare towards the iron slayer. "Anyway…I'll give contact through the communication lacrima when things are figured out. Until then, stay put."

"I'll head back when I'm done, Diamond. You can go ahead and file the mission report to base and go back without me." Tia assured Diamond with a nod.

"Right!" Diamond nodded, skipping out of the guild. "See you soon!"

"Let us go." And with that, Makarov led the small band of mages to the port.

.

.

"Gah…" At the port, a female was pacing back and forth, looking for something though it wasn't where she thought it was. This girl was in her 20s, wearing knee high black boots with red strings on the side, one strap black and red dress and certainly did not hide her ample bust and hardly covered her thighs, black and white gloves, and a small black and white hate atop bright red curly locks that reached down to her lower back; and last but not least, green eyes to complete her image. "Where is it…? My informant said it would be around here somewhere…" She then laid eyes on one of the largest boats in the harbor, with a mysterious robed person standing in front of it. It appeared as though they were waiting for someone. "Ah…that must be it! That boat is too huge for a small crew…" Waltzing over to the figure, the female took a deep breath before speaking. "Can I hop on this boat?"

"…" She got nothing; the figure said not a word to her. They were completely ignoring her.

"Excuse me!" The red head huffed, now waving her hand in front of what she was hoping to be a face. "I'm speaking to you!"

"…."

An angered tick mark appeared on the female's forehead. "Hey! Stop ignoring me, dammit! I'll make you sorry!"

"…."

"UGH!" Throwing her hands up defeated, the female let her head hang. "Useless…"

"This must be the meeting place…" Erza said while staring at the large boat; it was bigger than everything else in the docks.

"A-A boat…?" Natsu's face turned blue at the very sight of a boat.

"You're not even on it…" Lucy said with a shake of her head.

"Or near it…" Tia continued.

"Oh…you must be the mages from Fairy Tail…" The robed figure finally spoke, which caused the red headed female's jaw to drop. "I'm so happy to see that you have come…but this is not the entire guild…isn't it twice this?"

"We suspect a trap," Makarov was blunt on the matter, staring directly at the robed figure with a stern expression. "Both forces spread out between here and the guild are prepared if you dare try anything."

Upon hearing their suspicions, the robed figure brought up their hands and shook them rapidly as if to deny the accusations. "N-No! I swear on my life, it is not a trap! We genuinely need your assistance…"

"She seems to be telling the truth…her tone of voice is sincere…" Wendy mumbled, not sure if anyone else would agree with her.

"Can't base trust just on that, short stack," Gajeel said while placing his hand atop Wendy's head. "Though, we don't really have any way of telling if they're lyin', do we?"

"I swear, you have my word…" The figure dropped their robe to reveal their face; it was a female with tan skin, red markings along her cheeks, pink hair tied back into a pony tail, and dark blue eyes. "My name is Ena, and I'm sent here on behalf of my father the king to request your assistance to stave off an incoming civil war on our island…"

"Civil war…?" This seemed to catch Makarov's attention. "This sounds troubling indeed…"

"Wait, wait…" Tia narrowed her eyes at Ena. "You said your father the king, right? So…you're the princess?"

"That is correct…" Ena gave a curt nod.

"Whoa! Royalty!" Cynthia's eyes lit up, only for them to halt and narrow once she caught a whiff of Ena's scent. "Whoa…?"

"You smell it too…?" Wendy glanced at Cynthia, who gave a silent nod.

"Do you wish to go to the island with this small force, sir Makarov?" Ena questioned the Master.

"No…I will call over the rest of the guild. Though it will take some time before they arrive, I will arrive. So, feel free to spend your time as you wish until they do," Makarov nodded before going off to contact the others at the guild.

"Well…if you don't need a walking crutch anymore…" Tia said as she slowly began to release her grip on Lucy, who seemed to be doing fine. "I'm going to be heading back to Dealer now…"

"I'll be fine…!" Lucy nodded…only to start tipping over without noticing. "Fine….fine….TIA HELP."

"Ah…" Tia sighed, catching Lucy in her arms just before she fell. "You're hopeless…"

"Aheh…" Lucy just gave a sheepish smile.

"Man… I just wanna fight something!" Natsu complained.

"Give it some time, Natsu! I'm sure we can do something!" Happy attempted to encourage Natsu while eating a piece of fish from his bag.

"Excuuuuuuuuuuuse meeeeee~" The red headed female from before casually walked up to the Fairy Tail wizards, displaying a sweet smile, though it was clear she wanted something from them. "This boat is for you guys, riiiight?"

"Who the hell are you?" Laxus raised a brow at the female. "And how long have you been standing there? Your tone of voice makes it sound like you've been watching for quite a while…"

"Oh, me?" The female placed a hand on her chest, preparing to introduce herself. "Mii Koryuji! Heiress of the Koryuji family and (Self-proclaimed) S class wizard!"

"Uh huh…" Gray just nodded, not showing much interest in Mii. "And we're Fairy Tail."

"Love rival…" Juvia silently hissed at the well-endowed female.

"What the hell is a Fairy Tail?" Mii blinked a few times before realizing that wasn't the best question to ask. "A-ahem…I mean…it's nice to meet you all! Say, you never answered my question! That boat is yours, right?"

"Well…technically?" Lucy answered.

"Excellent!" Mii clapped her hands together, presenting a sweet smile. "Can I join you on your little trip?"

"No." Ena replied, shooting Mii a sharp glare. "This boat is for Fairy Tail only, I'm afraid I cannot let you board this ship. You don't even know where it's going, do you?"

"I know where this goes, and who you really are…" Mii said with her eyes narrowing, hands on her hips as she leaned forward. "I don't think they know the entire truth yet, do they?" There was a smirk on her face as she spoke, tension in the area rising. "You've gained their trust a little bit…it wouldn't be so wise to keep them in the dark and put them into something they may not be able to handle in the long run, no? After all…you are…"

"That's enough," Ena spoke calmly, giving a nod so show she understood Mii's point.

"Are they about to fight…?" Wendy questioned.

"I hope not…" Pantherlily replied. "I have the feeling it would get very ugly pretty quickly."

Ena turned to the wizards, giving another small nod. "I hope you do not mind her accompanying us."

"Eh?" Natsu glanced at Mii, who was smiling all sweet and innocent. "But she ain't a part of Fairy Tail…"

"I hope it won't be a problem!" Mii flashed a bright smile. "You can trust me! I'll be a good girl, and if there's a fight don't worry, I can handle myself!"

"I'm not sure about this…" Laxus was the first one to show his distaste towards Mii accompanying them. "I don't trust her."

Mii mumbled something under her breath before giving Laxus that usual smile. "Don't worry. I'm not going to cause any trouble; you have my word as a Princess!"

"You're royalty, too?" Carla found this rather skeptical. It was as if Mii was making this up as she was going along. "How convenient."

"Ah…!?" Mii took offense to Carla's doubts. "That's rude! Really, the Koryuji family is well known in Pergrande! My father is close with the King, you know~"

"Daddy's girl?" Laxus remarked.

"…!" Mii gasped.

"Laxus, that's enough." Erza shot a glare towards the lightning mage. She then extended a hand to Mii, presenting a soft smile. "Please, excuse his behavior. Mii, as long as you promise to stay out of trouble, we wouldn't mind you accompanying us."

"But of course!" Mii took Erza's hand and gave it a good shake. "Pleasure doing business with you, Fairy Tail!"

"Well…if that's all…" Tia nodded, now beginning to make her leave. "I hope you guys succeed in your mission! Just call me if you need any help, and we'll be right there." With that, Tia was now gone.

After some time, the rest of the members of Fairy Tail arrived, and began boarding the boat. The dragon slayers felt a little sick at first once the boat started moving, only to realize there was nothing to worry about. "I'm not sick…?" Cynthia questioned, walking around the boat with little to no issue.

"This boat has been designed to compensate for that illness Dragon Slayers are known to possess." Ena confirmed. "There is one thing I would like to tell you all as we make way to the island…"

"And what's that?" Makarov inquired.

"This island we are going to is not on the sea…" With a press of the button, the ship began to lift from the water and began flying into the sky; the mages' eyes widened in surprise. "It is in the sky."

.

.

A shocking revelation has been made in the face of Fairy Tail as a new comrade joins their cause! As they fly into the sky to reach their new destination, the winds of fate begin to howl in discontent…

Next time: Turbulence!


	8. Chapter 7: Turbulence!

"THE SKY?!"

Ena's calm demeanor was probably the reason everyone was freaking out slightly about the island's location. Nodding slowly, Ena responded; "Yes, it is a large island in the sky. Since there are not many air ships in this world, it hasn't been touched by humans…well, for a long time anyway. But that's a story for a later time…"

"My, my…" Mii waved her hand, leaning against the railing of the ship with what could be considered a knowing smile. "Way to wait until the last second to spring this information on us! An island in the sky is unheard of, actually…" As she spoke, her voice trailed off.

"Ms. Mii, do you know something?" Ena questioned with a tilt of her head.

"No," Mii replied, giving a shrug. "In the end, I'm as clueless as everyone else here…"

"Certainly you wouldn't mind sharing your motive for wanting to join us?" Makarov held a skeptical eye towards Mii.

"If the reason doesn't work, I'll take the liberty of throwing you of this ship myself," Laxus responded in his usual calm tone of voice. "So, get talking."

"Pushy aren't we…?" Mii sighed, turning to lean against the railing, facing the sky. "It's simple…I'm just looking for something…something important…taking any lead I can get. Is that good enough for you? Or do I have to get all personal, too?"

"I believe that is a good enough explanation…" Ena nodded. "Though I cannot say you'll find what you're looking for here…especially during this time."

"It's the only lead I've gotten…" Mii responded.

"Fine…" Laxus silently huffed. "I'll let you be for now."

"Gee, your kindness leaves me at a loss for words…" Mii rolled her eyes, but because her back was turned Laxus couldn't see it.

Elsewhere on the huge ship, Wendy was still attempting to heal Lucy;s injuries. "You still shouldn't be moving, Lucy-san! You can't even take the bandages off yet, can you?"

"Wendy…" Lucy could only let out a small laugh at Wendy's concern. "I'm fine, I promise! The soreness has gone away, and I can move just fine."

"Yo!" Natsu walked over, giving a wave along with a wide grin. "You completed that job though, right Lucy?" It was as if he completely forgot that he and Lucy even had an argument. While he forgot, Lucy on the other hand did not.

"Hmph…" Lucy crossed her arms, cheeks puffed out while her head turned away. She didn't even want to speak to Natsu.

"E-Etto…" A sweat drop formed on Wendy's forehead, comically looking back between Natsu and Lucy as the tension in the small area rose. "A-Ano…Lucy-san…how did that job go again…?"

"Well!" Immediately brightening up, Lucy clasped her hands together and glanced at Wendy. "…Actually…I don't remember how it ended. It's all fuzzy, even now…I just remember some explosion, but that's about it…"

"You don't even remember making it back to the guild, do you?" Carla questioned while waving a paw.

"Not at all…I just remember waking up." Lucy said with a shrug. "But it doesn't matter now, does it? I'm fine and that's the only thing that matters!"

"…" Natsu scowled slightly at Lucy blatantly ignored his presence. "Hmph…" Turning, he began to make his leave, Happy following behind him.

"I'll go see how the others are doing!" With Natsu gone, Lucy was quick to go in the opposite direction.

"That was awkward…" Wendy let out a sigh.

"I hope those two get along again soon…" Cynthia said while sitting next to Wendy. "It's been like this for a while…"

"Me too…it's weird to see them fighting…" Wendy nodded, leaning against Cynthia somewhat. "Oh…that reminds me…how are you? You haven't been having that nightmare lately, have you? Your body hasn't been hurting, has it!?"

"No, no…" Cynthia shook her head slowly, letting out a small laugh. "I've been fine…you know I'd tell you if I wasn't feeling well!"

"Good…" Wendy nodded. Her concern for Cynthia overall skyrocketed after the incident in Crocus (end of Dealer Arc).

"How much longer until we reach this floating island place…?" Romeo complained with a groan, trudging along the ship. "I'm boooooooored."

"Romeo! Stop complaining!" Macao exclaimed. "We'll be there soon, right?" the Father's attention turned to Ena, who calmly continued to steer the ship.

"Yes, we should be there within 20 minutes," Ena responded without looking over her shoulder. "Surely you can hold out long enough, little one?"

"A-ah…yeah…totally…" A comical sweat drop appeared on Romeo's forehead, and he nodded.

"…The winds are picking up…" Wendy made this observation from the sidelines, catching everyone's attention. "I don't think it's a pleasant breeze either…it's a howl of discontent…"

"I don't sense anything…or smell anything…" Gajeel pointed out.

"The winds are blowing in the opposite directions…" Wendy continued, eyes widening once she made the realization. "Oh no…! Ena-san…!"

"Wha…?" Ena was about to reply, but before she could a vicious current of wind began to shake the ship, causing it to steer off course from Ena's control. "Gah…!? What the…!?"

"A sneak attack!?" Gajeel's lips curled into a smirk. "In the sky no less! I like their style!" Pounding a fist into an open palm, Gajeel stood on the railing of the ship, cracking his knuckles. He glanced around; spotting winged blurs flying around the ship at high speeds. "Lily, let's get going!"

"Right!" Pantherlily nodded, wings sprouting from his back; he flew to Gajeel's back, lifting im into the air.

"Happy!" Natsu shouted while running towards railing, leaping off without a second thought. Happy caught him before he fell too far, lifting into the air right after Gajeel.

"Carla! We have to help!" Wendy stood up, and Carla was quick to lift her into the open sky to assist the others.

"W-Wait for me!" Cynthia ran towards the railing, only to almost lose her balance and fall over.

"S-Stay on the ship, Cynthia!" Levy wrapped her arms around Cynthia's waist, tugging her back to eventually fall on her back with Cynthia on top of her.

"B-But Levy…!" Cynthia flailed in Levy's arms. "I have to help…!"

"You can't fly!" Levy protested. "Stay on the ship and let the others handling it!"

"Keep her here," Erza demanded, unsure of how Cynthia would act without being held down. A heavenly glow wrapped around her being for a split second before fading away, revealing her in her Black Wing Armor, which she used to take to the sky.

"Stay back…" Mirajane told her siblings as a magic seal appeared over her head; not even a second later and she was standing in her Satan Soul takeover. Wings flapped once, and Mirajane took off to the sky to assist her friends.

"We can't let them all the fun, right guys!?" Bickslow glanced over to the Raijinshu, giving his signature wild grin. "Come on, babies! Let's go have some fun too!"

"Oi, let me in on this!" Mii grinned excitedly, placing a hand on her hip. "I can show that I'm more than just a pretty face!"

"You'll get in the way. Just stay where they can see you." Laxus stated, turning to those who couldn't enter the sky. "Support us from here if possible. Keep an eye out if you spot anything." With that, Laxus and his Raijinshu took into the air.

"…!" Mii's expression turned sour at Laxus' statement. "Jerk…"

"How's the ship looking!?" Gray asked Ena, who frantically began to attempt steering in another direction, only to fail.

"The wind is blowing in all directions…I can't steer the ship in any direction until this turbulence dies down…" Ena stated.

.

.

"Alright you flying bastards! Let's rumble!" Natsu roared out into the sky, loud enough for the winged marauders to hear him. Glancing around, Natsu spotted a blur whizzing past him a few yards away. "That way!" Natsu exclaimed to Happy, who quickly flew over in the direction Natsu pointed, closing in on the winged being, flames covering his dominate arm. "Iron Fist…of the Fire Dragon!" Once close, Natsu swung his flaming fist towards the face of the mysterious attacker; before contact was made, the winged assailant suddenly flew off to the side in the blink of an eye, causing Natsu to whiff. "What the…!?" Turning his head, he received a harsh elbow to his face, causing him and Happy to spiral around before regaining control. "Quick bastards…!"

"Ha! Yah!" Erza grunted while slashing her sword at the beings. They were well built and all wore what looked like casual clothing, but there was a cloth around their eyes. Erza blocked a punch with the blunt side of her blade, attempting to strike with a quick counterattack. To her surprise to the being evaded by flying up, faster than Erza could follow. "What…!? How can they move so quickly?!"

"They're hard to keep up with…" Freed said while glancing around, barely spotting the blurs flying past the group of airborne Fairy Tail wizards. "I'll box them in so they won't have so much movement!" With his sword extended, a bright violet hue shone from the blade, creating a box of runes in the sky. "There we go."

"Excellent work Freed!" Evergreen exclaimed with a thumbs up and a wave of her fan. With the area boxed in, the movement of the mysterious assailants was vastly limited. Some of them even ran into the edges of the box, leaving them stunned. "Fairy Bomb: Gremlin!" Evergreen swiped her fan, sending some sparkles along the sky, which caused a few explosions in the sky.

"Now we can kick some ass!" Natsu grinned in excitement, lunging towards a stunned attacker, finally landing a fiery fist at their jaw, sending them spiraling upwards. "Yeah! Here I go!" With Happy flying up, Natsu's foot ignited in orange flames. "Talons!" He swung his foot down in an axe kick-like motion, but just as before, they dodged before he could strike. "Tch!? The bastards are still moving quickly?!"

"Iron Dragon's Pole!" Gajeel extended his dominate arm out, morphing it into an iron pole that rushed through the sky towards a winged assailant. At the last possible second, the target's speed increased suddenly and they flew off to the side, causing Gajeel to hit the barrier Freed created. A painful shock ran up his extended limb, causing him and Pantherlily to both shake in pain. "Gah! Annoyin' shits…how are they moving so fast…"

"It's the wind…!" Wendy replied, causing everyone to turn to her. "They're riding the wind currents, which allows them to move quickly…"

"I can't tell which way the wind blows, dammit…" Gajeel grunted in annoyance.

"Wendy, can you do something about this wind?" Carla questioned.

"I think so…" Wendy replied with a nod. "I can control the wind, which should stabilize it and make it easier for everyone to fight…but I need some time to focus…"

"Buy Wendy some time!" Carla exclaimed to the others.

"You heard the kitty!" Bickslow shouted. "Let's keep the kid safe!"

.

"I wish I could do something from here…" Lucy huffed while leaning a little too far on the railing, watching the battle in the sky intently. She finally realized she was leaning a little too much and started flailing to keep her balance. "G-Gah!?"

"It's a shame, really…" Mii said while walking over, gripping the back of Lucy's shirt to pull her up. "But since this battle doesn't have anything to do with us…" Walking over to the shirtless Gray, Mii took a moment to observe him before coming a conclusion. "You know…for an ice mage…you're pretty hot…!"

"HISSS!" Juvia suddenly rushed in, glaring at Mii with the death stare. "JUVIA KNEW IT! LOVE RIVAL! Gray-sama belongs to Juvia!"

"W-Wait a minute…!" Gray waved his hands at both females before shooting a glance towards Mii. "Geez…! Don't you take anything seriously!?"

"Oh, so she belongs to you?" Mii had a coy smile on her lips before stretching and yawning, waving a hand dismissively afterwards. "Ah…I tried to help, but your short circuited friend over there didn't want me getting in the way…so why even bother right? I'd rather just flirt with the cute guys here and you're one of them." At that comment, Juvia lunged towards Mii, but Gray held her back from absolutely clawing Mii's face off. "But I can't ruin the happiness of a couple like you two!" With a giggle, Mii began to walk off.

"Juvia doesn't like her…!" Juvia huffed before coming to the realization that she was in Gray's arms, and immediately began to take it the wrong way. "Oh, Gray-sama is embracing Juvia to show he cares!"

"W-What…!?" Gray immediately released Juvia, rubbing the back of his head. "I was trying to stop you from killing her…"

.

"I can feel the movement of the wind…." Wendy thought to herself while closing her eyes, taking in the energy she felt from the wind into her being. "If I can just control it with my movements, I'll make things easier for everyone…I have to focus…."

"Agh…" Carla had to keep still, despite how much of a sitting duck she was she needed to remain still so Wendy could focus. One flying assailant attempted to take them out there, but luckily Laxus had them covered and flew in with a powerful electrical kick. "Whew…Thanks, Laxus…!"

"Don't thank me; I'm doing what whatever I can to ensure the kid can focus…" Laxus replied as lightning enveloped his body once again and he flew off to rejoin the battle.

"Just a little longer…" Wendy mumbled.

The shift in the winds became apparent soon enough; the turbulent currents faded, and it was clear this caught the winged assailants off guard as they attempted to ride the wind, only to fail and be caught off guard by the simultaneous attacks of the Fairy Tail wizards. "Wendy's plan is working!" Mirajane said while turning her head to Wendy's direction.

"Finish them off, Wendy!" Natsu grinned.

"Sky Dragon's…." Wendy began while raising her arms; in the middle of her incantation, her body began to give off a bright azure glow, completely unfamiliar to everyone. "Wing Slash!" Throwing her arms down, a violent hurricane of wind expelled from the young girl's arm, completely swallowing the assailants, sending them hurtling away just as Freed dispelled the barrier. After such a feat, Wendy panted heavily, glancing around at her body. "W-What was that light…?"

"The turbulence is gone." Ena stated. "We can move again. Thank you, everyone. I apologize for the actions of those people…they will recover soon enough."

"You know them?" Erza asked while returning to the ship.

"They were…" Ena started, but something caught her attention. "…Everyone, get to the ship! NOW!"

"Eh…?" Ena's sudden shift in tone caught Wendy's attention. Before she knew it, something faster than a bullet flew by, knocking her from Carla and into the sky stunned.

"WENDY!" Cynthia acted on pure instinct. Leaping onto the railing of the ship before leaping right off, aiming for Wendy without any second though.

"CYNTHIA!?" Erza's eyes widened before leaping after Cynthia, still in her Black Wing Armor. "That girl…!"

"Carla, wake up!" Cynthia exclaimed, snapping Carla out of her dazed state.

"Wha!?" Carla took a second to realize what happened; she was falling and Wendy wasn't in her arms. Without a second thought, she flew to Cynthia's back to keep her in the air. "Where's Wendy!?"

"Over there!" Cynthia pointed, and the two immediately made their way over to Wendy as quickly as possible, but the wind was against them, forcing them at a slow pace.

"Ngh…" Wendy shook her head, bringing herself back to her senses. She was a in a free fall, but that wasn't even the worse part. She could see something rapidly approaching her; without thinking she knew she had to defend herself. Rearing her arm back as wind began to surround it, she waited for the right moment…."Sky Dragon's Claw!" She swung, but it was a miss before she even through the move. The figure moved behind her and slashed her back, bringing forth a near scream of pain from Wendy as she spiraled around. Catching herself in the air, she found herself above the mysterious attacker. Trying once more, she now aimed an upside down kick towards the foe, unleashing a spiral of wind towards them. "Sky Dragon's Crushing Fang!" Was this one a hit? No, far from it. Another miss before she could see what happened. "Agh…Sky Dragon's…ROAR!" Opening her mouth, the sky dragon unleashed a tornado down to her attack, also using it to rise into the air. At the same time, the attacker mirrored her actions, unleashing an even bigger hurricane in Wendy's direction. The two roars clashed, and it wasn't long before Wendy's was overpowered. A scream of pain escaped the young girl as she was thrown upwards, feeling the attack rip through her. She passed out at some point, now beginning to fall back to the sky.

"Nasir, enough…!" Ena left the helm of the ship and dove off herself, similar wings sprouting from her back as she flew towards Wendy, blocking what could've been the life ending blow with her own arm. Wendy's attacker was a large male with white hair, tan skin and blue eyes, using a robe ton conceal his appearance.

"WENDY…!" Cynthia caught the injured Wendy in her arms, glaring towards this Nasir character. "You…"

Erza flew in front of Cynthia, placing one hand out to stop Cynthia from moving while the other had the blade pointed towards Nasir. "What was your purpose for this? You should know you won't be let off easy for hurting one of our comrades." Following Erza was Natsu and Happy and Mirajane.

"…" Nasir glanced towards Ena, wearing a skeptical look. "My skies were invaded, and I felt the need to defend my territory. I didn't realize these people were with you, Ena. My apologies."

"Sorry doesn't heal Wendy!" Cynthia yelled, feeling her flames starting to flare up.

"Cynthia." Erza voice was stern. It caused Cynthia to calm down a little; she was holding Wendy after all and couldn't risk injuring her more.

"It seems you've taken care of all my men…I suppose me injuring one of your comrades will suffice as equal compensation." Nasir nodded before flying off. "I suppose I'll be seeing you at the castle if you are the ones Ena chose. A little bit of a shame, but oh well…"

"I…" Cynthia's hold on the unconscious Wendy increased.

"Carla, get them back onto the ship please…" Mirajane asked and Carla nodded, carrying Cynthia and Wendy with some difficulty back to the ship.

"Who does that asshole think he is!?" Natsu growled. "Tch…" He then turned to Ena, pointing at her wings. "And why do you have those!? What are you!?"

"…" Ena remained silent, making her way back to the ship with everyone else. "I will explain that in due time. Just continue to trust me for a little while longer, please." Once back on the ship, it began moving once again. "We're almost at our destination." The clouds ahead parted, revealing a floating island off in the distance.

"Whoa…!?" This caught everyone's attention even though they were told of it before.

"What's the name of this place? I've never seen it before…" Makarov asked Ena.

"This is the Isle of the Dragons…" Ena responded.

.

.

Another startling revelation has been made before the Fairy Tail wizards! Floating island in the sky that is the home of dragons? What else will be revealed to them?

Next time: Isle of the Dragons!


	9. Chapter 8: Isle of The Dragons

"Hold on a moment, do you want to repeat that…?" Lucy's expression turned blank as Ena stated where they were heading. "I could've sworn you just side…Isle of Dragons…?"

"I did not make any mistakes in my speech, Lucy-san," Ena responded with a nod.

"Wait…so those guys we just fought…" Freed thought it only for only a moment before coming to a conclusion. "Those were…?"

"That's correct," Ena nodded once again. "They were dragon soldiers. Though they are incredibly powerful, I was surprised that Wendy managed to fell them all in one blow. …I do sincerely apologize for Nasir's actions…"

"…." Cynthia remained silent, keeping a watch over the bandaged up Wendy who was still unconscious. She wasn't leaving Wendy's side for a moment.

"You know, it was pretty sneaky of you to hide such a secret!" Mii cooed from afar, placing her hands on her hips. "I was just about to comment on how pretty those pink wings of yours were~!"

"You're a little irritating, you know that?" Ena responded with a sarcastically sweet smile. "That explains it…" Natsu said with his arms crossed, giving Ena a skeptical look. "I thought you smelled funny this entire time, but I couldn't put my finger on it. But now I get it! You're a dragon too!"

"A little late on that train…looks like all those flames really did turn your brain to mush…" Gray commented, and of course he and Natsu were butting heads once again because of it.

"What was that, you naked jackass?!" Natsu exclaimed.

"Did I stutter, dumbass!?" Gray responded with a condescending grin.

"Natsu! Gray!" Erza raised her voice along with adding a sharp stern tone to it, causing both males to freeze in place, acting as though they were best buddies. "I forbid you two to continue fighting while we are assisting Ena! You are being bad representatives, and I will not tolerate it!"

"Erza-san seems really angry…" Juvia said while shying away from the scarlet haired mage.

"I couldn't have said it better myself, Erza," Makarov spoke with a firm nod. "Expect punishment of the highest degree if you two end up fighting even once while we're here, understand?" Makarov's tone held a dangerous weight to it, and he wasn't just conveying his words to Natsu and Gray. It was meant for everyone within his guild, and especially the female who somehow managed to join them: Mii.

"D-Don't worry Gramps, we'll be good!" Gray voiced what he and Natsu were both thinking,

"There's no need to worry about me, old man," Mii said with a dismissive wave of her hand. "I'm a good girl."

"I wonder if she noticed that we still don't believe a single word she's said…" Lucy made the side comment to Cana, who gave a shrug.

"Doesn't look like she cares all that much…or maybe she's just stupid?" Cana suggested, taking a swig of her bottle.

"You two aren't very good at whispering…" Mii commented with a deadpanned expression. She then pointed to Cynthia, who remained glued to Wendy's side. "Anyway…shouldn't you be checking on the kids? Cynthia hasn't moved or said a word since the trip resumed."

"…You're right." Lucy looked over to Cynthia, who had the same expression on her face since they continued their travels. "Cynthia, are you all right?"

"….." Cynthia remained silent, responding a moment later; a rather late reaction. "O-Oh…yeah…I'm fine."

"You're tired…you should get some rest." Carla waved her paw.

"There's no need," Ena spoke. "We're just a few minutes away from docking. Once we arrive, I promise I will explain everything to you there. Can I have your cooperation for a little while longer?"

"Keeping us in the dark still?" Mii huffed, placing her hands on her hips.

"Mii, be quiet." Erza ordered. The authority Erza's voice held caused Mii to stiffen up and nod.

"R-Right…" With a nervous laugh, Mii rubbed the back of her head.

"We are docking. Prepare for landing." Ena stated as they finally reached the incredibly large island in the sky. Docking the ship at a port, Ena stopped and began to walk off. "Follow me, but slowly. You might not be used to the strange gravity this island has just yet…." And once she stepped off, Ena seemed to be fine.

"Pssh!" Natsu waved his hand and walked off the ship, only to have his legs wobble and collapse under him. "Guh!?" And he fell to the ground, looking like an idiot.

"I warned you, Natsu-san…" Ena said, keeping her calm composure, but on the inside she felt like giggling. She had to stay professional as the princess, after all. "Take things slowly, everyone."

"We don't have our land legs yet, Natsu…" Lucy shook her head while taking Ena's advice and walked onto the land slowly. She staggered a little bit, but she was standing. "See, it's simple? Baka…" While everyone else began departing, Lucy used the time to look around. She was amazed for starters; the city they docked in look similar to Magnolia, there were hardly any differences but for some reason the foreign aspect of it all made things seem that much more pretty. Far off, Lucy could see a large castle standing in the center of the town. "Whoa…"

"Wow…" Even Mii was taken aback by the simplistic beauty of the island. "There's no way this is the entire island is it…?"

"Not at all." Ena responded. "This is only half…the other half we stay away from for now. I'll also explain that to you in a short time. But please, follow behind me and don't speak to the other residents of the island just yet."

"All these instructions while we still don't even know what's going on…" Mii voiced her complaints once again; whether she meant it or was just trying to be annoying was unclear.

"It's so nice…" Cynthia commented while carrying Wendy on her back. It looked like she was having a little trouble, however.

"Do you want me to take her?" Erza offered, but Cynthia shook her head at the request.

"No, I can do it. She's not that heavy." Cynthia replied.

"Follow me. We are going right to the castle." Ena nodded, beginning to lead the way down the street with Fairy Tail following right behind her. The residents of the town looked human, but their presence was certainly that of dragons. The adults were larger than humans by a foot or two, and the children were slightly bigger as well. Upon seeing Ena they all bowed in place.

"Princess Ena has returned!"

"Are those the warriors she claimed will help us in this time of need!?"

"Are these the warriors that fate said will defend us!?"

The voices of the dragons began rambling and the noise created made their dialogue hard to understand, and it left the Fairy Tail wizards with quizzical expressions all over their faces. "What exactly is going on here…?" Erza asked Ena.

"Erza-san, I ask that you wait until we reach the castle…" Ena's voice sounded like she was pleading a little bit. While she did tell Fairy Tail the basic situation of what was going on, it was clear there was something else below the surface that was bugging her. For now, Erza decided to trust Ena.

"Fate….?" That word seemed to catch Lucy's attention.

"So this is the Isle of the Dragons…" Mii muttered to herself, but it didn't seem like she was just amazed. It also sounded like she was trying confirm something.

Laxus caught her tone and raised a brow. "Not what you expected, troublemaker?"

"Pfft…" Mii snapped out of her thoughts, waving a dismissive hand to Laxus. "It's perfectly fine."

"We'll be arriving at the castle gates in a few minutes…" Ena told the others. After a few minutes, the group stood before a large double doored gate that guarded the entrance to the castle; the design on the doors was a dragon roaring a particular element. "And here we are…" Ena stopped just before the doors, letting out a sigh; turning around, she clasped her hands behind her back and gave a grateful smile. "Thank you for continuing to cooperate with me this entire time, even if I haven't been divulging much information to you yet."

"Are you going to tell us everything now?" Lucy questioned while crossing her arms under her bosom.

"Not yet," Ena shook her head. "But, all will be made clear in just a matter of minutes. Once I explain to my Father why I've brought you here, you will understand."

"Can't we just fight already?" It appeared that just sitting around doing nothing was starting to get to Natsu. He wanted a fight and the fact he didn't even know what was going on yet bothered him.

"I agree with the idiot." Mii said while pointing at Natsu. "I haven't even gotten to show off my stuff yet!" While everyone else was probably still questioning why Ena allowed someone like Mii to join them, the reason was clear to the princess. She could sense there was something about Mii that drew her to the Isle of the Dragons, and whatever it was Ena also intended to find out. She just felt bad that everyone else had to put up with her causal, flirtatious, slightly stuck up and nonchalant attitude.

"I don't think anyone wants to see your stuff…" Evergreen commented from the sidelines.

"Bleh!" Mii stuck her tongue at Evergreen in a childish manner. She then took the time to look up at the castle behind the gates. It was a large castle that stood at least 5 stories, and the material seemed to be something rare that could only be found on the island. That was the conclusion Mii came to at the very least, and it seemed she wasn't the only one who came to this conclusion.

"Anyway…are you all ready to enter the castle?" Ena asked, and everyone gave a nod. "Follow me. We're going to the throne room." Ena began to walk towards the gate open it, but something familiar caught her attention not too far away.

"Yo, Ena! I see you're finally back!" The voice from behind caught everyone's attention, causing them to turn around. A tall male with dark green hair, red eyes, and a cloak approached the group. "Huh…so this is Fairy Tail in the flesh, huh?" The mysterious male questioned with an inquisitive stare.

"You've heard of us…?" Erza asked.

"Of course! Third strongest guild in Fiore after the GMG last year, right? Or…technically you guys are the second strongest, since I heard that Twilight Zone guild disbanded or something…but yeah, I heard you guys are pretty strong."

"We would've won those games if they had better morals back then…." Lucy commented silently though it seemed the dragon heard her, which caused her to let out a small nervous chuckle. "Anyway…"

"Oh, before I forget, let me introduce myself! My name is Kurthnaga!"" The dragon replied with a nod, giving a slight grin. "Dragon Prince of this Island."

"Ena is your sister, then?" Mii pointed at both of them with a curious head tilt.

"That's right…she's the youngest, I might add." Kurthnaga nodded, and then gave Mii a curious glance. "Wait a second…you're not with Fairy Tail, are you?"

"Not quite…" Mii replied. "But your sister here was kind enough to let me join Fairy Tail on this trip! Don't worry; I won't be causing any trouble. I'm under watchful eye of such a trustworthy guild."

"She didn't even know we existed before we met…" Lucy muttered and it seemed Mii heard her, just giving a sweet smile.

"Well…it's nice that the second strongest guild in Fiore is here to help us…" Kurthnaga began, though his tone of voice shifted to something that began to rub the Fairy Tail wizards the wrong way. "Ena made a nice pick, but I believe I made a better pick to help us in this time of need."

"Oh yeah?!" Natsu's eye gleamed with slight anger at the fact Kurthnaga had the audacity to talk down to Fairy Tail like that. "Who'd you pick that you think is stronger than us!?"

"Are you really that dense, Salamander?" An oh so familiar cocky voice made its presence known…no, more like it demanded attention. Reve Volver appeared with his hands in his pockets, giving his patented cocky ass grin to the Fairy Tail mages and Ena. Behind him? The White Eclipse Guild of course. "It's only natural to enlist the help of the strongest guild in Fiore. The second strongest can go ahead and go home."

.

.

It appears that Fairy Tail was not the only guild to be dragged onto the Isle of the Dragons! White Eclipse now enters the fray due to the Dragon Prince, Kurthnaha's intervention! How will the two guilds act in the presence of the unknown king of the island? What are the dire circumstances of this supposed war? There's only one way to find out.

Next Time: Audience With the King.


	10. Chapter 9: Audience With the King!

"Why the hell are those bastards here!?" Natsu exclaimed while glaring towards the White Eclipse mages, and then at Ena, who merely gave a shrug as a response. "We don't need your help so get outta here!"

"On contrary, Salamander…" Reve stated while waving his hand in a dismissive manner. "We're the strongest guild in the country, remember? So, we don't need the help of second place…"

"N-Now now boys…" Mii decided to act as the mediator, since tension was high with everyone else. "I think we should all just take a nice deep breath and calm down…" Blinking, she then turned to Reve and White Eclipse. "Who even are you guys…?"

"You must not be from around here if you're asking that…" Luke said with a slightly cocky grin.

"No one's from around here, Luke…" Aira pointed out, completely ruining Luke's moment.

"…." Luke's head hung over in comic shame, blue lines wavering above his head.

"Leave it to the pros, Luke…" Cygnus said while pointing a thumb at himself. "We are Fiore's strongest guild, White Eclipse! Even if you haven't heard of Fairy Tail, the chumps over there, you should at least know about us."

"White…Eclipse…?" Mii blinked a few times at the name before giving a shrug. "I don't know anything about the guilds in this country…I know Fairy Tail is pretty strong from what I've seen…so you're saying you're stronger?"

"It's only a fact," Reve grinned.

Apparently Mii was oblivious to the rising tension in the area with White Eclipse and Fairy Tail, along with Ena and Kurthnaga. "Ah…I see…." She then turned, finally starting to get an idea of what was going on; she was now feeling like she had to be the mediator, or something like that. "Now, now…everyone…"

"Kurthnaga, I thought we talked about this!" Ena frowned towards her elder brother, placing her hands on her hips.

"We did!" Kurthnaga replied with a shrug. "You said you were going to hunt for the warriors you thought were the strongest and I went with the group that actually IS the strongest. I heard about what happened with Nasir, and honestly I have no idea what he was thinking…"

"Did you go through the same attack as well…?" Ena questioned.

"Yup…" Kurthnaga replied. "It was highly unexpected…but thankfully no one was injured…"

"I wish we could say the same…" Lucy frowned while looking at the unconscious Wendy that was being carried by Cynthia.

"I guess that's what happens when you're not as strong as us…" Reve made the sly remark at Wendy's condition, which only caused an irritated Erza to step forward.

"Reve, you will cease talking about us this way right now," Erza's eyes narrowed to a soul piercing glare, one that would freeze the soul of any mortal in fear. But Reve? He just stood there with his patented ass eating grin.

"Oh yeah…?" Reve questioned in obvious defiance.

"You wanna go you bastard!?" Natsu stepped up, prepared to punch Reve in the jaw if he said anything else he didn't like.

"Reve, stop it!" Aira huffed. "This isn't the time to be picking fights!"

"She's right, you know…" Selene crossed her arms, looking at Reve while shaking our head.

An unexpected figure was next to put their two cents into the current situation at hand. "I wonder we're all against each other…" Leon Shi spoke from the side of White Eclipse, looking on with an innocently confused expression. "I thought we were all on the same side now?"

"Leon, don't worry about it too much…" Waiston waved his hand dismissively at Leon's comment, now mumbling to himself. "He really needs to get out of that 'everyone is my friend' mindset…"

"Well, he's right about one thing…" Ena said while looking over at the front gates to the castle. "You're all here now, we can't change that. We're going to need you all to play nice when we visit the King, is that clear?"

"Yes, I will not tolerate any fighting in his presence…" Kurthnaga stood right beside Ena, both of them having a menacing aura around their beings. Even though one of them alone was scary enough, the both of them together caused a chill to crawl down most everyone's spine; to the point where everyone nodded at once. "Glad we're all on the same page."

"Now then, follow us." Ena turned and opened the gates, beginning the walk into the castle.

"T-That was frightening…" Kuro said while rubbing the back of his head.

"I wasn't frightened…" Takeru boasted with a small grin.

"Tak, your legs were, and still are quivering…" Zalen pointed out.

"…..Be quiet…" Takeru said before hiding behind Selene, pushing her forward to begin walking.

"Even if we don't get along, I do expect you all to tolerate each other…" Makarov spoke while eying his children, the White Eclipse mages, and then Sidney Castle, the ace of White Eclipse.

"That falls on your group," Sidney responded before turning, following everyone else into the castle.

The castle interior had contained that of any other normal castle. There were statues of dragons planted on the sides of the large corridors. Ena and Kurthnaga were obviously causal in walking towards the throne room, which wasn't a long walk. There was an elevator large enough to fit everyone, and it began heading up. The dragon slayers didn't even experience motion sickness on the ride up. The elevator reached the top floor and let everyone off; Ena turned back to everyone as they approached the large set of double doors that led to the throne room. "You can all have a tour of this castle, and this part of the island soon enough. So for now, I ask that you please continue to follow us…" Her eyes shifted directly towards Zalen, who was obviously captivated by the structure of the interior and the exterior.

"But…" Zalen tried to object before hanging his head in a comical manner.

"Are you all ready?" Kurthnaga questioned once reaching the doors, which had two guards on both sides.

"Yes, we are prepared to meet the King!" Mii said, speaking for nearly everyone. At the same time the option caused everyone to give her a comical glare, resulting in the young woman to shrink with a nervous smile. "I-I mean…I'm ready…what about you guyssssss?"

"….Why is she here again?" Luke questioned Fairy Tail with a skeptic expression.

"Why are YOU so cute?" Mii replied immediately, batting her eyelashes in a flirtatious manner.

"Ah…." Luke paused, the comment both unexpected and enough to fluster him.

"In any case…" Lucy said while tugging Luke's arm to bring him back into reality. "I think we're ready to see the King now."

"I wonder what he's like…" Happy questioned at the doors began to open. "Maybe he's got loads of fish…!"

"Father doesn't eat fish…" Ena replied with a sweet smile, but the words still managed to crush Happy's spirit.

"I wonder how strong he is…!" Natsu grinned, pounding his fist together only for Erza to smack him on the head. "OW!?"

"We're not here to pick fights!" Erza scolded.

"All right, all right…!" Kurthnaga waved his hands before a black aura formed around his body. "That's enough fighting. We are about to meet a dragon one should treat with respect." Everyone straightened out with Kurthnaga's spike in magic pressure. With that, Kurthnaga's aura's faded and he led the way into the large throne room. The throne room had several lit torches with a red carpet in the middle of a stone-tiled floor. The king of the isle sat on the throne, his figure shrouded by the dimness of the room from afar. Beside him was another, slightly familiar figure: Nasir seemed to be the king's right hand dragon. "Father…We have returned."

"And we have brought those we deem worthy of helping us fight in this case…" Ena continued, giving her father a respectful nod.

"Ah…" A deep voice resounded throughout the room, causing everyone to stand at attention. The king stood up and walked from the shadows, revealing himself. The king of the Isle of the Dragons was a tall, well-built bald man with a dark green mustache; wearing a short sleeved robe that showed off his muscular arms, completed with a pair of dark boots; that wasn't the only thing about the dragon king that made him intimidating; his presence demanded absolute respect, the power coming from his being was suppressed, but everyone could feel it, especially the dragon slayers. The Dragon King: Dhegensea. "I was under the impression only one guild would be joining…."

"SOMEONE can't seem to listen to reason…." Ena shot a glare towards Kurthnaga.

"I know, logic doesn't seem to reach that person…" Kurthnaga responded with his own glare towards his sister, comical lightning appearing between their gazes.

"Now now, you two…" Nasir attempted to calm them down, only to receive a shared glare from the both of them.

"I don't think you have room to talk, Nasir!" Ena exclaimed. "How DARE you attack us!?"

"What's this….?" Dhegensea blinked, turning to Nasir. "You attacked my children?"

"Ah…." Nasir paused, a cold sweat drop forming on his head. "King Dhegensea, I can explain…"

"He hurt Wendy!" Cynthia suddenly exclaimed, causing some people to look over at her. She didn't mean to shout, but it just came out. "S-sorry…"

"Do not apologize, young child…" Dhegensea said to Cynthia with a soft smile. "You are not the one at fault…." Glaring towards Nasir, the dragon king shook his head. "I apologize for Nasir's actions. They are unforgivable, even if he is protective of the skies in this area."

"We appreciate your apology…" Makarov said with a nod. "But I would like to hear the apology from your right hand dragon himself."

"Understandable." Dhegensea nodded. "Nasir. Apologize."

"Ah…" Nasir nodded slowly, looking as though he had to swallow some pride. "I am very sorry for my actions…my territory and duty involve protecting the skies around the island, and there have been many attempts to reach this island as of late…"

"What does that mean?" Mii questioned. "I mean…we've got the introductions out of the way, so why are we here?"

"Why are YOU here is the better question…" Juvia grumbled under her breath.

"Oh yes…" Dhegensea sat back on his throne. "Before I can explain to you what's going on…I must first explain the history behind this island. I assume you all know of the Dragon King: Acnologia, correct?"

"Ah…that bastard…" Natsu grit his teeth while clenching a hand into a fist. Their last encounter with Acnologia nearly resulted in all of them dead.

"Yeah, we know of him." Reve responded. "What about him?"

"After he became the King, so to say….all of the other dragons were forced to go into hiding. Those except Igneel, Grandneey…" Dhegensea went on with the list of dragons who happened to the be parents of a few certain dragon slayers. "Anyways…the rest of the dragons were sent into hiding. We choose an island and lifted it into the sky, where I was chosen to become the Dragon King of this isle. With a few sacred resources at our disposal, we have lived in peace for many years, overseeing the events of the human world down below."

"Something tells me not everything has gone as smoothly over the past few years?" Mii deduced while messing with the strap on her dress. Her tone was rather informal, and since she was on the Fairy Tail side it left them uneasy.

"Correct, young one…" Dhegensea nodded. "There have been many dragons who have the desire to move to the human land down below and cause war and destruction."

"And you've been keeping them all in check…?" Erza questioned. "Dragons can fly, can they not…?"

"Yes, dragons can fly…" Dhegensea nodded. "However, the dragons on this isle cannot. To ensure that no such thing would occur, the power of flight has been removed from most dragons on the isle. Those who can fly cannot do so for long."

"Ah…" Lucy snapped her fingers. "I get it…so that's how they were able to fight so well…."

"They were…using the turbulence in the wind….to glide…" Wendy spoke while waking up slowly. She seemed to be slightly informed on what was going on.

"Wendy…!" Cynthia stared at the girl in her arms who began to regain consciousness. "Are you okay…?!"

"I'm okay…" Wendy gave a slow nod.

"We are bound to fate." Dhegensea continued. "Whatever fate decrees will happen, there is nothing we can do about this fact...We cannot fight against fate…but there is one who dares to stand against the peace I've made. His name his Gaius…and he has convinced many others to join his cause into attacking the humans. Half of the island is under his control now, which is why everything beyond this area is off limits. We are at a stalemate, but they have the advantage."

"How so?" Makarov asked.

"The Scared Jewel, the item that keeps this island afloat, is on their side of the island." Ena explained. "Half of it, anyway...The jewel's power keeps this island in the sky, and it has been broken into two parts….largely due to my actions just the other day."

"I have to admit…if Ena didn't break it when she did with her clumsiness, we'd be in a pretty bad situation…" Kurthnaga said, but the remark caused a comical tick mark of anger to appear on Ena's forehead.

"She broke it?" Sidney questioned for clarification.

"Gaius jumped the castle," Ena explained. "He grabbed the jewel, but just before he could I encountered him. I did my best to fend him off and retrieve the jewel, but in the middle of our battle I accidentally tripped…and I hit it, causing it to break. It's still fine, but we can't let the other half fall into the hands of Gaius and his men…If they take that other half they can sink this island back to the water like they desire."

"And I guess they'll use those boats you have to sail since they can't fly?" Aira guessed.

"Correct," Dhegensea nodded. "There are two things stopping Gaius and his men from attacking the humans below already. 1: The ships are located on this side of the island, meaning that they will have to try and come over to us if they want it. 2: The jewel is broken in two, and they cannot deactivate its power without both halves being in place."

"I am the one who is guarding the second half of the jewel." Nasir chimed in.

"I see…" Mii narrowed her eyes at Nasir. There was something about him that rubbed her the wrong way and she wasn't alone in this feeling, probably because he attacked White Eclipse and Fairy Tail.

"Why can't you just go over there and finish things?" Luke asked. "I can tell you're nothing to take lightly just by standing in the same room as you."

"We are bound by fate." Dhegensea responded calmly. "Fate says we are not to move a muscle. Instead, warriors chosen by the kin of the King will help fight this war…they are the only ones capable."

"I'm not sure that makes sense…." Mii sounded like she was challenging the idea, but Erza was quick to shut her up by chopping the back of her head. "Ow…!" The red-head held the back of her head after cringing in pain.

"Bound by fate?" Erza asked. "How so?"

"There is a scroll in the castle depths about the fate of this island…I read this scroll every year to learn the fate of this island, whether it be good or bad. This war that Gaius has begun is not within the scroll, but fate says worthy warriors from the human world will help turn the tables. I cannot fight…I must protect the throne and ensure my people are safe. They have more forces than I soldiers…"

"I understand…" Erza nodded.

"There is one more thing…" Nasir began. "Gaius has the nerve to try and change all of the residents on this isle into dragons…full dragon forms. Mindless creatures that will only want to destroy." This news caused everyone's eyes to widen. "Yes, it is horrible news…which is why we must stop him as soon as possible. If you meet him in battle, do not listen to his words. He will try to trick and convince you to join his cause."

"That's a lot to swallow…" Aira said while tugging at her shirt collar. "I didn't think we were signing up for something so large scale…"

"I have to agree with this…" Mirajane spoke with a concerned look on her face. "We did agree to hear you out…"

"I understand it is a lot to take in…" Dhegensea seemed quite calm about the feelings everyone had towards taking part in a war, one that especially didn't involve them. "Which is why I'm glad my children brought both guilds, if one doesn't feel up to the task, I can entrust the other to take care of this."

"Is that how it is?" Gray seemed a little skeptic at the idea, but the last thing he wanted to do was come off as rude.

"We have kept the enemy at bay for several days and there is no way they can make the first move on us. Therefore, I will allow you time to sort out your feelings on this matter. When you have come to a decision, come to me and I will arrange for everything."

"There's still a lot we don't know here…" Freed mumbled. "I don't think he's lying to us, but he's certainly not telling us everything he knows…"

"We can discuss this later…" Laxus whispered to his fellow member.

"What can we do until then?" Levy questioned. "Are we just stuck in this castle, or…?"

"Of course not!" Ena clapped her hands together, a bright smile forming on her lips. "Allow me to show you around the castle, Fairy Tail!"

.

.

Next Time: Castle of Kings!


	11. Chapter 10: Castle of Kings

"Wait!" Natsu exclaimed before Ena could lead them out of the throne room. Turning to Dhegensea, a serious expression plastered itself onto the Salamander's face. "I got some questions for you!"

"Natsu, don't be so rude…!" Lucy warned with a huff; though she was still upset at the fire dragon she didn't want him to screw everyone over with his abrasiveness.

"Yes?" Dhegensea didn't seem to mind, though Ena and Kurthnaga were standing on their toes in slight suspense at the thought of their father lashing out.

"You're old, ain't ya?" Natsu questioned, causing some people to face palm. "You know something about Igneel and the other dragons don't you?"

The question sparked the interest of the other dragon slayers who did have missing parents. "Y-yeah…do you know anything about our parents…?" Wendy questioned weakly.

"Please tell us if you know anything…!" Selene pleaded.

"…." Dhegensea remained silent before shaking his head. "I'm sorry, but I know nothing of the Dragons that vanished 15 years ago."

"Tch…" Natsu couldn't help but feel like Dhegensea was lying, but he couldn't prove it so he moved onto his next question. "Alright…tell us why you haven't fought Acnologia yet. It's easy to tell you're no slouch in battle."

"As I said before, I'm peaceful. I will not fight unless the situation absolutely calls for it, and dealing with that beast is something I won't do on my own accord." Dhegensea responded.

"I-I think that's enough questions for now…" Ena gave a slightly nervous laugh before ushering Fairy Tail out of the throne room. "C-Come on now, let me give you a tour of our wonderful castle!"

"I suppose I should do the same for you too, White Eclipse…" Kurthnaga sighed, using the back of his hand to wipe away the sweat on his forehead. With that, both guilds were out of the throne room.

"Hm…" Dhegensea folded his arms, staring at the doors as they closed.

"Is something wrong, my king?" Nasir questioned with a curious stare at the king.

"That boy…." Dhegensea began. "He questioned me about Igneel's whereabouts…but it was odd. I could sense Igneel's presence in this very room just after he mentioned it…This has my interest. Will you finally come out of hiding, Igneel…?"

.

.

The depths of an uncharted forest within Fiore contained a mansion-like structure that not many knew what is was for. All the people knew is that it was bad news to even step foot near this building, and those who dared to brave the warnings of the people were never seen again. This was the guild named Fukomakura, home to Ophelia and various other members of this guild.

"So, you didn't find out anything, did you?" Desdemona, in just a robe, questioned while sitting on her chair, one leg crossed over the other while eying her daughter and Kize. "Not a single thing?" Her foot now tapping against the floor while she impatiently waited for an answer.

"Well…" Ophelia began, but Kize cut her off.

"Not a single thing, my lady!" He exclaimed, quivering from excitement. "I failed, so please punish me, lady Desdemona! Dominate me, please!"

"Ah…" Ophelia blinked; a part of her saw this coming but it still took her by surprise.

"Very well…" Desdemona nodded and stood up, leaving for a moment just to change. When she returned, she wore stiletto heels and held a knotted whip in her hand. "On your knees." And Kize was quick to comply, dropping to the floor on his knees whilst panting like a dog. There was no smile on Desdemona's face as she reared her arm back, some sort of pent up aggression finally bubbling within her chest. The loud whizzing noise from swinging the whip was followed up with a large CRACK as it hit Kize's back, tearing through his shirt and skin.

"OH MY YES!" Kize yelled in a mixture of pain and ecstasy, writhing in pain while his body shivered from excitement. He bit his bottom lip until it began bleeding, running like a faucet down his lower lip until it ran down his chin. "Mi'Lady, PLEASE!" He begged for more.

"…." Ophelia could only watch in a mixture of disgust and enjoyment. She hated when Desdemona punished Kize because he always ended up enjoying it, but seeing her mother angry at someone other than her was nice, even though Desdemona was never really angry with her.

"Do you know what I hate more than anything else, Kize?" Desdemona questioned, her voice devoid of any turmoil within her mind. She squatted down beside the male, the green haired female grabbed his chin, holding his face in place so their eyes were locked on one another.

Kize would've melted right then and there if he had the choice; locking gazes with his love was a lifelong dream he rarely managed to fulfil. "I…no, ma'am…what's that exactly? Please tell me."

"What I detest most…is anyone who thinks they're better than me? Do you know what I do to people who believe such…?" At first, her hold was gentle. But with each passing word that left her lips, her hand squeezed, nails digging into the flesh, drawing blood. Leaning in closer, she waited for an answer. Kize shook his head no, not having the answer to the rhetorical question. But he was sure he was going to find out soon enough, feeling an odd mixture of pain and pleasure that came out in the form of moans that echoed throughout the guildhall. He could taste his own blood again and he was sure he couldn't be happier.

"I don't kill them…" Desdemona whispered, lips hovering above Kize's for a split second. In the next instant, her dark nails suddenly grew into hardened talons that dug into Kize's skull, skewering the male while latching onto the bone of Kize's jaw. In the next instant, with a quick yank, the full blooded Wraith tore Kize's jaw from his skull, blood splattering on her face while raining down his chest, the muscle and ligaments hanging in tatter ribbons from his neck. "I'll destroy them." Her voice was calm and smooth.

Once the talons formed, Kize began screaming; even this masochist could only take so much. Even though he enjoyed the pain, pain was still pain. His screams deafened the halls and only became loudly while writhing in pain. Once his jaw came off, he began shaking in a seizure-like state. "MILADY!" He muffled without a lower jaw, crying in agony yet still somehow in a sense of pleasure.

Desdemona dropped Kize's jaw and patted his face while standing up. "Next time you demand for me to do something, I'll rip more than your face off, got it?" She didn't expect an answer, so she just snapped the fingers of the clean hand, a dim light washing over Kize as the time around the male reversed, placing his jaw back in place to leave him in one piece. With another snap of her fingers, a dim light surrounded her and she cleaned herself up. "Now leave." Kize nodded and left her presence.

The entire time, Ophelia watched with a pleased expression. Watching Kize suffer was always pleasurable to her. "HA!" She couldn't help but laugh.

"Ophelia dear…" Desdemona sat back on her chair, patting her lap. "Take a seat." Even though she wasn't truly mad or upset at Ophelia, she was the only one in the room now. She never laid her hands on the girl, and she wasn't going to start now. Though Ophelia wasn't aware of this fact.

The half wraith froze for a second, dreading what she thought was about to happen. The silence made her wonder if her mother was angry, or just about to explode. Nodding slowly, she listened and sat on her mother's lap. Waiting anxiously for what she thought was about to happen.

Now, Desdemona took hold of Ophelia's chin, tilting her head this way and that before releasing it, but not before giving a harsh squeeze to her jaw. "When I say get information…whether Kize is here…or Oda, or Sjo, or any of the others, I expect answers. Next time, you'd better come back with something better than 'No'. I'll rip that tongue of yours from your mouth and gut you like a flounder, only to rewind time and do it over and over again. Understood?"

Without a doubt, Desdemona was the only thing in existence that could instill fear into Ophelia. Nodding slowly twice, she showed a high level of understanding. "I-I understand…"

"Good…" And with that, Desdemona shoved Ophelia from her lap. "Now, do something about your hair. It's atrocious."

"B-but…" Ophelia liked her curly hair, though she wasn't going to talk back to her mother, not after the events that just transpired. "Right…" And with that, Ophelia left the room.

A few moments passed before Desdemona called on someone else. "Oda."

Within a minute, a blonde male with an eyepatch on his left eye appeared, bowing respectfully to Desdemona. "Yes, Lady Desdemona?"

"Where are those loathsome Fairies up to now?" She questioned while taking a hairbrush and began running it through her green locks.

"Hold on a moment…" Oda took a moment before using his unique feature: The All Seeing Eye. It allowed him to see whatever he wanted, even the mind of his opponent if he were in a battle. "It appears they are on…a floating island in the sky?"

"Oh…?" Desdemona seemed to have a hint of interest. "That old island is coming up again? Things just got that much more interesting…I wonder what that old fossil is planning now…"

.

.

"You have to be a little more careful with how you ask your questions…" Ena was speaking to Natsu, letting out a heavy sigh while leading Fairy Tail down the castle hallways. "I was sure my father was going to explode for a second there…"

"And I was sure he knew somethin' about Igneel, but I guess we were both wrong…" Natsu responded grumpily.

"Now, now Natsu-san," Mii said while waving a finger back and forth disapprovingly. "We don't always get what we want, so you'll just have to do whatever it takes to get it!"

"Uhm…" Lucy's eyes narrowed towards Mii. "I don't think that's how the saying goes."

"Oh…oops. Oh well, what do I know?" Mii shrugged, playing things off with a simple smile. "So, Ena, where are we going first?" She was quick to change subjects.

"Well, first…" Ena didn't think about that, but it didn't take long for her to get a destination in mind. "Oh, I know exactly where to go! One of our prized treasures that has only been written down in legends down in the human world…"

"And what would that be…?" Lucy was curious.

"You'll see when we get there!" Ena chirped.

"Wendy, are you sure you can walk…?" Cynthia questioned as Wendy limped beside her, using her as support.

"I'm fine…" Wendy replied with a slight nod. "I don't want to be a burden to anyone…but I'm fine."

"Wendy…" Carla was worried like Cynthia. Everyone seemed to be concerned as well but Wendy was determined to walk.

"Thank you, Cynthia…" Wendy responded with a soft smile, continuing to lean on Cynthia.

"Of course…anything for you." Cynthia responded with a soft smile of her own.

.

Ena led the Fairy Tail group into a large circular room; the light from the sky shone down onto one single location: the large purple blade that was embedded within a small stone pedestal. "And here we go!"

"W-What is that thing…?" Erza seemed mesmerized by the power the sword in the stone gave off. She wasn't the only one who could feel it.

"This is the Eternal Sword…" Ena said with a slight smile. "This sword was created by the Celestial Spirit Origin, and it was used long ago when this island was back in the ocean."

"Origin…?" Lucy crossed her arms before shaking her head. "I've never heard of that Celestial Spirit before…"

"You haven't…?" Ena then shrugged. "I suppose it's not common knowledge…it's rarely talked about, even in the history books. But he crafted that blade, and only a select chosen few are capable of wielding the blade, which is capable of doing anything the user wishes…"

"No way…" Gray's jaw dropped at the information. "A blade that can do anything is sitting here on this island…!?"

"For good reason," Ena responded. "No one on this island is capable of using this blade, let alone lift it up."

"I bet you could lift it, Erza-san." Mii said while nudging Erza's shoulder. "Maybe even swing it around a bit?"

"Ah…" Erza honestly thought about it for a second. "Do you think I could?" She was speaking to both Mii and Ena, catching some of the mages off guard.

"Ah…" Ena thought about it for a second before giving a shrug. "I mean…if you want to, I won't stop you. I'm just going to warn you in saying it's going to hurt if you can't withdraw the sword from the stone."

"Erza-san is really strong! Juvia is certain she can pull it out!" Juvia nodded.

"Give it a shot then!" Ena gave a supportive smile and stepped to the side.

"Good luck, Erza!" Mirajane said while giving a slight wave.

"Thank you, I'm sure this won't be so bad…" Erza was certain, cracking her knuckles in preparation to pull out the Eternal Sword from the pedestal. Once reaching the blade, she firmly grasped the hilt with both hands. "Here we go…" Lifting the hilt up, only for the blade to budge just slightly. "Hnnnnnnnng…!"

"Did it move?" Cana questioned.

"It always moves a little bit…" Ena replied. "Now…"

There was just another slight, barely noticeable shift in the blade. Ena and Mii spotted it though it didn't seem like anyone else did. "This thing is really embedded…" Erza grunted. A few seconds later a powerful shock started to emit from the blade and shock her nerves powerfully. A pained yelp briefly escaped Titania before she was thrown back, landing on the floor on her back, smoke emitting from her palms.

"Erza….!"

"Ngh…." Erza twitched on the ground violently for a second before standing up. "That…didn't go like I thought it would."

"Are you okay!?" Lucy was very concerned for Erza after the display.

"I'm fine…" Erza responded. "Just a little shock, nothing I couldn't handle."

"That was something else…" Ena mumbled. "Either my eyes were deceiving me…or she moved it…"

"Ha…well, how about that…" Mii thought to herself, tapping her chin with her index finger. "She might be the one…if so, I'll have to keep a very watchful eye on her…"

.

"Moving right along…" Ena began while leading the group through the prison block; it was one of the only ways to get to what she REALLY wanted to show them. "Ah…don't move to close to the bars, the captives here are violent…"

"Captives?" Levy wondered.

"Yes…dragons that worked alongside Gaius to bring ruin to this island…we've captured them and put them in these cells. They can't escape, and it's not just dragons in here either. We have some people who somehow managed to sneak on the island…"

"Don't get too close, huh?" Mii leaned forward just as the arm of the prisoners reached out to claw at her. She was just out of reach, which only aggravated the dragon even more. "Ehehe…" Giving a grin, Mii tauntingly spoke. "You know, putting an animal in a cage, no matter how dangerous, doesn't make it scary…"

"Mii, you'd do best not to provoke them." Makarov spoke with caution.

"Ah, don't worry about it," Waving a dismissive hand, Mii's eyes glossed over some cages before one in particular caught her attention. All within a split second, her composure broke and she took a step to the cage before there was a brief blackout. "Huh!?"

.

"I told you not to touch anything, Luke!" Aira scolded the copycat while placing a hand on her hip, scowling at Luke.

"B-But I didn't!?" Luke waved his hands in a defensive manner.

"Way to be a klutz, Luke…" Jaxon said while shaking his head back and forth in a disapproving manner.

"Let's all be calm now!" Kurthnaga chuckled. "This happens occasionally, don't worry about it."

.

"That blackout was odd…" Lucy said while looking around before her eyes rested on Mii. "Mii…are you okay?" Lucy had to ask. She noticed Mii's brief break in composure, and it was the first time since meeting the mysterious female that she didn't seem like herself. "You look a little shaken up."

"Ah…?" Mii snapped back to attention, shaking her head at Lucy. "Pfft, I'm fine…it's nothing. What did you want to show us, Ena?"

"Oh, right…it's just down this hall…" Ena was now quite excited, leading the Fairy Tail group back outside into a sparkling lake that radiated a certain mystic power. "Here we are! Say hello to the Mystic Lake, which contains the Mystic Water."

"Mystic…Water…?" Juvia blinked slowly. "Juvia has never heard of this kind of water before…"

"It's special water…this water has the ability to heal any and all wounds, illnesses…" Ena went on and on. Juvia's interest began to grow and grow; it was the first time since meeting Gray that something else had Juvia's complete attention.

"No way…" Juvia clasped her hands together. "This island really is something special…!"

"And it will all be gone if we cannot stop Gaius…" Ena's cheerful expression slowly turned into something more solemn and serious. "I don't know if you've come to a decision just yet…but I would hate to see everything on this island…"

"We'll come to a decision soon enough, Ena." Makarov ensured the young female dragon with a nod. "This is a very big matter, so we will discuss it in length."

"I appreciate it…" Ena nodded with a soft smile. "There is building just south of the castle where you can rest for the day…I know it's been long so you deserve some rest…"

.

.

Next Time: The Challenge!

P.S: Keep an eye out for a special! This will involve some behind the scenes look at the story that started it all: Flames of Friendship, and a little bit more!


	12. Chapter 11: The Challenge

The building Ena gave Fairy Tail to rest in was just as large as the mall hall in their guild. It even came equipped with beds and a fully stocked kitchen. With this, they could finally rest after having such a long day; when they left Fairy Tail it was only early afternoon, now the sun was setting and it was before nightfall. The members were currently split up, doing their own method of relaxing before the big meeting soon about what to do. Sitting on one of the beds, Lucy let out a heavy sigh. "What a very long day this has been…"

"You're telling me!" Mii plopped down right beside Lucy, who looked like she didn't really care for the somewhat intrusive action. "A battle in the sky…a village of dragons…mystical, ancient items, and now a war!"

"You sound waaaay too excited for this…" Lucy's eyes narrowed towards Mii. She then stared to catch a scent coming off of the female; it was a little strong for Lucy's nose. "And what kind of perfume are you wearing…?"

"I just wish that Dhegensea knew something about Igneel…" Natsu huffed seemingly upset he couldn't get any information.

"It'll be okay, Natsu…." Lucy began only to remember that she was still mad at him, so she quickly took it back and just scoffed as if she didn't say anything.

"Ooooh, lover's spat?" Mii wore a grin on her lips, draping an arm around Lucy. "Now things are getting even more interesting!"

"Don't you take anything seriously…?" Lucy's shoulders slumped with Mii's intrusion once again.

"It depends." Mii shrugged before beginning to look Lucy over. "I mean, if you're gonna dump the hot head, I'll happily replace him."

"WHA?!" At that comment, Lucy's face turned a bright shade of red. Leaping up from her position, she waved her hands rapidly. "Natsu and I are NOT a thing!? And what's with you!? Go back to hitting on Luke or something…!"

"Pffft…." Mii brought a hand to her mouth, attempting to cover her snicker that eventually turned into a full-fledged laugh. "HAHAHA….! The look on your face…priceless….!" Falling back on the bed, the red headed female was having a fit. "Ahh…I needed that laugh. You people are a little too tense for my liking…whew…"

"Mii-san…you're a little weird…" Cynthia commented from the other side of the room. She and Carla were watching over Wendy who passed out the second she hit a bed. Cynthia pinched her nose to keep from smelling Mii's incredibly strong perfume. Her nose was a little more sensitive than most Dragon Slayers. "Eh…"

"I'm a very…whimsical being…" Mii responded while sitting up. "You people need to lighten up, no point going into a battle all tense and stuff, am I right?"

"We still haven't even decided if we're going into this battle," Said Erza. "It's a tall order…and I wouldn't want to risk putting anyone at risk if we don't have to do it."

"There's also that White Eclipse guild, supposedly stronger than all of you?" Mii worded the question in a way that got under everyone's skin, though it was hard to tell if she was just that careless or if she did it on purpose.

"They're not stronger than us!" Natsu was the first to comment. "The last Games were just filled with some cheaters and they managed to get ahead at the very end, that's it."

"Cheaters, huh?" Mii pondered whatever he could mean by that.

"While they do have some powerful mages…they are not stronger than we are." Erza was firm in her statement. "I'm not sure why Kurthnaga thought to bring them along…maybe just because of their position?"

"Well, either way…they'll probably get involved and brag about it if they succeed where you all left." Mii shrugged. Just the thought of that led to some irritation spreading around the present Fairy Tail members. "White Eclipse: Saviors of the Isle of the Dragons! Fairy Tail: Weaklings who fled!"

"That's enough." Makarov suddenly brought down a Titan Fist upon Mii in a manner he would to Natsu, scolding the female. "I won't allow you to provoke us into hastily making a decision."

"Hurk…!" Mii grunted before she remained silent for a moment under the weight of Makarov's arm. She then blew a tuft of hair from her eyes. "Relax…I'm just saying…you could've crushed my bones…!"

"Hmph…" Makarov withdrew his arm. "I'm still considering Dhegensea's words. I do not suspect that he was lying to us…but at the same time, I have the idea that he was not telling us everything there is to know. And for that reason, I cannot entirely trust what he has told us."

"Yeeesh….." Mii stood up and dusted off her skirt. "You're all really on edge, are you always like this?"

"Or perhaps you're just too carefree…" Erza's eyes suddenly narrowed at Mii, all suspicion on the female suddenly coming in all at once. "I'm still not sure why Ena allowed you onto the ship…I trust her judgement on the matter, but at the same time, I don't trust you. I don't think anyone here really trusts you."

"Wow, you go right for the throat, don'tcha?" Mii let out a small sigh, she expected everyone to start questioning her eventually. "You can trust me. I'm simply here because I'm looking for someone very dear to me, it's been years since I've seen them. Last I heard they were potentially coming to this island…but the longer I stay here, the more I have to say it's impossible." After speaking, another, heavier sigh escaped the red head as she placed her hat down on the side. "I shouldn't bore you with the details about it, but that's pretty much why I'm here."

"You're looking for someone…?" Lucy blinked a few times at the information.

"So we know what you're here for…" Erza could believe Mii's story so far. "That just leaves one other question. Who are you?"

.

.

Gray was one of the few who decided to take a walk to relax, and of course Juvia tagged along. At first Gray seemed a little annoyed but in the end he didn't seem to mind all. Looking around, he noticed all the dragons (who were in human form) glancing at the two of them, making him feel a little uneasy. "Yeesh…it's like they're peering into my soul or something…"

"Juvia feels it too…" Juvia said while clinging onto Gray's arm, much to his dismay. "Do you think it's because Ena brought us here?"

"Probably…or something to that effect anyway…" Gray replied with a slight shrug. "I think they were doing the same thing when we were walking by earlier…either way, it's a lot to take in, ya know? This war stuff ain't really our business, but Ena seems to believe we can do it."

"While Kurthnaga believes that White Eclipse is more capable…" Juvia mumbled. Just uttering such a sentence left a sour taste in her mouth.

"We never did ask what credential's Ena had for choosing us…" Gray just realized.

"We should've asked…" Juvia commented. Her eyes wandered around for a moment before noticing a young boy with blue hair peeking at the two of them from around the corner. "Huh…?" Juvia focused her gaze on the young child before they noticed her finally staring back. With a small, quiet leap of surprise the boy went back into hiding, leaving Juvia confused. "Wh…"

"Is something wrong?" Gray questioned upon hearing the water mage's odd expression.

"O-oh…nothing, Gray-sama…" Juvia responded while turning her head back to Gray, only to catch some movement out of the corner of her eye. "Huh…? Gray-sama, look…!"

"Huh?" Gray turned to where Juvia was pointing, only to see Reve leading the pack of a few White Eclipse members down the street. "It looks like they're going to where the others are. I don't like how this is looking. Juvia, let's go back."

.

.

"Who am I?" Mii questioned Erza's questioned while crossing her legs, placing both hands upon her top knee. "My, my…I didn't think you of all people would be the one to ask me, Erza-san…" There was a strange smile that curved onto Mii's lips after speaking. The tension in the room suddenly grew between the two females, leaving everyone staring.

"Huh…?" Erza blinked a few times, completely caught off guard by the way Mii answered the question. "What do you mean by that….?" It didn't seem like anyone else caught but Erza. There was a hint of familiarity and malice laced within Mii's tone. Did Erza know this woman? There was a small tug at the back of her memory…She and Mii crossed paths before once, a very long time ago. "…..?" Even with all this thinking, Erza was still puzzled.

"Do you two know each other…?"

"Haaaa…" Mii let out another sigh. "I guess you really don't know…but that's fine, and to be expected. Fine, fine, I'll tell you. I'm…" And before Mii could finish, guess who so rudely opened the door as if they owned the place? You guessed it, Reve Volver. "Eh?"

"Alright Fairies, we're gonna make this quick," Reve stated without so much as a hello.

"We are in the middle of a meeting, Reve…" Makarov stated towards the gunslinger with a scowl.

"If it's about whether to join or not, you don't have to anymore. We've already accepted the request in full." Reve spoke with a widening grin. "Which means you indecisive Fairies can finally leave this island, there isn't enough room for both of us on here, and the guild that takes the first step is the one that belongs. Not to mention, the prince made an excellent choice in choosing us over you."

"Now wait a second…" The way Reve talked down to them irritated Erza, and she wasn't going to stand for it. "What gives you the right to talk down to us like that? Sitting on the trophy of the Grand Magic Games? You can't keep using that as an excuse forever, being the strongest guild now means nothing."

"That's cute…" Reve chuckled at Erza's defiance. "It seems after all this time, you still haven't remembered your place: below us."

"Reve, you said you were going to be nice about this!" Aira huffed, scolding Reve for his rude and cocky attitude. The wind mage then spotted the injured Wendy on the other side of the room, so she took the liberty of walking over and placing her palms above the sky dragon as a soft sea green light emitted from her palms, healing Wendy. "These injuries…Nasir caused this?" Aira asked Cynthia.

"Mhm…" Cynthia nodded slowly, feeling thankful for Aira healing Wendy but hating Reve all at the same time.

"Man I'm getting really sick of you bastards…" Natsu growled as the tension continued to rise.

"Let me get a knife and cut through this tension…" Mii remarked, but Lucy was quick to use her elbow and sharply nudge Mii, silently telling her that now wasn't the time to try and be funny.

"Alright then…let's have a little wager to see if your skills are where your mouths are…" Reve began with his smirk widening. "Three on three. Three of us vs three of you, best of two wins."

"And the winner gets?" Erza questioned.

"The winner stays and finishes off the business on this island. If you were listening you'd know it wasn't anything that can't be handled easily as long as it's done in a timely manner. The enemy has to approach, and if they don't they lose. The losing guild has to leave this island and swallow their pride." For someone like Reve, he'd rather choke on his pride than swallow it. "How does that sound to you?"

"Must we always be on opposite sides…?" Aira sighed silently.

"Alright, punk…" Laxus made his presence known, arms crossed with some sparks of electricity dancing around his body, the infamous coat he wore waveringly slightly. "You're on. We'll clean you up and you can get off. Might as well start packin' already."

"That's what I like to hear…" Reve's grin could only grow. "Meet us in the castle courtyard in an hour." Placing his hands in his pockets, Reve left along with the other members of White Eclipse.

"What was that about?" Gray and Juvia were late to the party.

"We're squaring off with White Eclipse once again…" Lucy let out a soft sigh. "Losing guild gets off the island…"

"What!?" Gray's eyes widened at the news. "Those cocky bastards…they'll never learn, will they?"

"Master, I'm…" Erza started, but Makarov shook his head.

"Don't worry about it…" Makarov said as a small smile stretched on his lips. "They underestimate my children…and I know you all will show them the error of their ways, so I'm not worried. We can discuss more in length later. For now, prepare for the challenge and pick the three that will face off against White Eclipse. Erza, I leave it all to you."

Mii stood up, stretching as she began to make her way out. "I'm going on ahead; I want to be surprised when I see who's going off against who…" Passing Erza, Mii turned, whispering in the scarlet knight's ear. "Don't screw up, Erza-san~" With that, Mii made her way out, giggling softly as Erza stood there with a look of confusion.

.

.

White Eclipse has thrown down the gauntlet! The losing guild must leave the island and leave the rest to the winners! Fairy Tail won't take this lying down, so it's time to fight!

Next Time: It Never Ends!


	13. Chapter 12: It Never Ends

Back at the Dragon's Castle Courtyard, Ena and Kurthnaga were sitting in front of the fountain. It wasn't often they found the time to be alone, nor did they get along that often for a friendly chat. "So Ena, tell me…" Kurthnaga began while glancing towards his younger sister. "Why Fairy Tail? When we were told to gather the strongest warriors from Fiore, why did you choose the third…er, second strongest guild?"

"Ah…" Ena knew this question was coming sooner or later. "I suppose my choice was a little strange strength-wise…but I have a simple reason. I've heard of Fairy Tail's exploits in the past, and I've seen some from watching the human world. The bonds everyone in the guild share is something else. I mean…did you see Wendy and Cynthia? I felt an unshakable bond between those two little girls…Perhaps a little more…" Shaking her head, Ena merely let out a sigh.

"See…that's all well and all…" Kurthnaga chuckled. "But don't act like Fairy Tail is the only guild that cares about its family like that. White Eclipse is the same way you know."

"I'm not a fan of their attitude…" Ena said while puffing her cheeks out childishly, blowing a strand of her pink hair from her face. "Especially that Reve, he's far too cocky for his own good."

Kurthnaga could only chuckle at Ena's words. "Well if we're going to talk about undesirable attitudes…what about that Mii character? I'm certain she doesn't belong to Fairy Tail, so just what are you doing picking up random strangers off the street?"

"Ah…Mii…" It appeared as though Ena had been thinking about the female as well. "You know, I normally wouldn't have done such a thing, but something about that female…"

"Yes…?" Kurthnaga was trying to urge Ena to go on.

"Kurthnaga, do you remember when we were younger? You know, about 200 years ago?"

"200?" They were revealing their ages now. Kurthnaga paused for a moment before nodding. "Yeah…that's around the time we snuck into the Chamber of Fate to read the scroll, right…?"

"Mhm…" Ena nodded, having a brief flashback to when Kurthnaga and herself were younger. The two dragons snuck into the secret chamber of the castle to view the Scroll of Fate, which had the entire lifespan of the island written on it. The two were curious to know of events years from then, even though Dhegensea forbade them from stepping foot in that room. "I know we didn't get very far, but I did see something about a female looking exactly like Ms. Koryuji…right next to the impeding civil war…I don't know what it means exactly, but I believe she may be the one who is tied to this islands fate. She just might be the Chosen…"

"WHAT?!" Kurthnaga's eyes widened. "Are you sure about that? There's no way the Island's Chosen could be that girl…We all know she would be more serious than she is now. She takes nothing seriously, and she flirts with all the men around, jokingly or not…I refuse to accept it…..and yet…."

"Exactly," Ena nodded. "It doesn't seem likely due to her attitude…but the possibility is still there. She may be the one who controls the fate of this entire island…I wonder what is was that "

"Should we tell Father?" Kurthnaga was quick to ask.

"No…" Ena responded. "If it's true…then Father should already know. But…it's odd that he didn't acknowledge her…likely because of her attitude…or maybe he's just waiting to reveal the information…?" This was the backlash of their partial knowledge the future; before it came to pass, the information became jumbled up and confusing to those who knew. "I just don't know…but we have to keep an eye on the female for now. It's a good thing Fairy Tail is keeping an eye on her as well, but likely not for the same reasons…"

"Right…" Kurthnaga agreed. "I think we should also keep an eye on Nasir…I know he's Father's right hand man, but the fact he attacked both our ships on the way here is a little off to me…I know he's the protector of the sky's but something is still off…"

"I agree…I trust Nasir completely, but his actions as of late have been off for him…" Ena sighed, clasping her hands together. "I hope this war can be over soon…everyone's on edge when they just want to live a peaceful live…no one wants to go to war, I don't understand why this is happening…"

"We can only hope Fairy Tail and White Eclipse together can bring an end to this…" Kurthnaga sighed as well.

"You won't need to worry about Fairy Tail…" Reve said as he suddenly intruded on the end of their conversation. "Sorry to intrude, Prince and Princess, but I was wondering if you could spare this courtyard for a little bit."

"Did you need a place to train, Reve?" Ena questioned, not at all startled by the gunslingers sudden appearance.

"Not quite," Reve began. "Fairy Tail and White Eclipse are throwing down, three vs. three. The guild that loses is leaving the island, and swallowing some pride."

"EH!?" Ena's eyes widened at Reve's news.

"Oh, wow…I did not expect this…" Kurthnaga admitted, but he was laughing the entire time. "This is something else, hahaha!"

"Why are the chosen warriors fighting against one another…" Ena let out an incredibly heavy sigh.

"There's not enough room for us both on the island, especially with their indecisiveness." Reve responded with a wave. "We've already decided, now it's just time to take out the weakest link. We gave them an hour to prepare."

"Ah…" Ena sighed, rubbing her temples. "What a predicament this has become…"

"I'll set things up for you, don't worry about it Reve." Kurthnaga patted Ena on the back. "Don't worry about it either, no need to stress either. "Bring everyone here in about an hour and I should have everything ready."

.

.

An hour passed, and it was time for Fairy Tail and White Eclipse to thrown down once again. The courtyard was split into two sides, one for Fairy Tail and the other for White Eclipse; in the middle was enough room for any kind of fight to happen. "Whew…" Kurthnaga wiped away some sweat from his forehead. "That was some heavy work, but I think I got it all down."

"I still can't believe they're going to fight each other…" Ena sighed while rubbing her temples. "This is ridiculous, they should be working together!"

"Sadly I don't think they believe in teamwork today…" It was Erza who spoke, leading Fairy Tail into the Courtyard with a serious look on her face. "But it matters not, for we will bring them down off their pedestal today."

"Big words…" Now it was Reve who led White Eclipse in, his cocky grin more present than ever. "For such a small guild…"

"I'm tired of you bastards looking down on us!" Natsu said while clenching a fist. "We're taking you down today!"

"Yeah!" Lucy nodded in agreement, bringing a hand up before turning it into a fist. "Today is the day you swallow your pride!"

"Now, now…let's not get so hasty…" Luke commented with a smug grin. "Wouldn't want you to hurt yourselves before we took you down!"

"Wow, the tension sure is thick…" Ena silently remarked before clearing her throat. "A-Anyway…We've heard the rules…three vs three. The first guild to reach two victories will win! So, will the first two step up to do battle?" Ena then scurried out of the way as the first to combatants made their way into the arena: Luke and Gray.

"Well, well…" Luke let out a slight scoff at the sight of his opponent. "This is an interesting development, Fullbuster. I heard you had some new tricks up your sleeves, I hope you'll use them. Otherwise you won't be getting very far, you hear?"

"Take him out Gray!" Lucy exclaimed with vigor. A part of her just really wanted to see Luke get thrashed. They were friends now, but things like this brought out that side of her.

"Juvia believes in you, Gray-sama!" Juvia exclaimed while waving her arm around. All of her support went towards Gray.

"You know the White Eclipse tradition by now…" Luke said while waving a hand.

"Yeah, so why are you still standing there?" Gray responded with a smug grin of his own, entering his Ice Maker stance. "We don't have all day, you know…"

"Cute…" Luke could only shake his head at Gray's turnaround on the rules. It was always humorous when the tradition was reversed by someone else. "Fine then…" Luke grinned before placing his foot firmly on the ground. "I hope you're ready." With that Luke darted from his position; he was fast and Gray almost had a hard time keeping up. Before Gray could react, Luke landed a fiery punch to the ice maker's cheek, causing Gray to stumble back a step.

"Is that it?" Gray said while brushing off the hit like it was nothing even though it did leave a burn mark on his cheek. "Natsu's flames are way stronger than your weak copy…" Gray then slammed his fist into his palm, a chilling wind surrounding his ankles. "Ice Make: Lance!" Throwing his arms forward, a plethora of frozen lances launched out, aiming to converge on Luke from all angles.

"Just getting…warmed up…" Luke had to make a pun, even in the middle of a battle. Arms crossed, he took the brunt of the ice lances while sliding back across the grassy plain. A soft grunt of pain escaped him before shaking it all off. "That was a nice chill…" Luke mirrored Gray, preforming the same ice make stance. "Let me have a try at it. Ice Make: Thunder Lance!" Fusing ice and lightning together, Luke threw his arms forward to release sparking lances towards Gray that rapidly approached him.

"Tch!" Arms spread apart, a shield of ice immediately appearing in front of the ice maker. "Ice Make: Shield!" Gray could only hope the shield was enough to protect against the incoming dual lances. It did hold up for some time but eventually shattered, the remaining lances slamming into Gray, who let out a grunt of pain while tumbling backwards.

"Gray-sama!" Juvia shouted worriedly.

"Show him what you got, Luke!" Waiston grinned at Luke's early advantage.

"My, my…" Mii finally returned, sliding in next to Lucy and Juvia with a seemingly interested expression. "Those two are pretty strong, I like how things are starting off already!"

"And just where did you go?" Lucy briefly turned her attention from the fight to glance at Mii. It seemed that a few others were wondering about her whereabouts as well. "You were gone for a little bit of time…"

"I was just seeing the sights…" Mii responded while placing her hands in her lap. "I almost forgot this little quarrel was happening, and I'm glad I remembered! Who are the other two people you guys have chosen!?" It has hard to deny that she seemed genuinely interested.

"Ah…well…" Lucy placed her index finger on her chin. "We have Gray right now…Natsu really wanted to go, and then there's Erza!"

"Ah, what the line up! I'm interested to see how this goes…" Mii crossed her legs, hands resting upon her knee.

"You're still annoying as before…" Gray said as he wiped his mouth with the back of his hand.

"I'm glad you think so…" Luke said with a slight smirk before snapping his fingers; the crafty copy mage created a yellow magic seal underneath Gray's feet, which unleashed a powerful discharge of electricity that caught Gray off guard.

"Gah!" Gray let out a small strangled cry at the lightning. Before he could full recover, Luke dashed in with darkness surrounding his fist.

"Darkness…Crash!" Throwing his fist forward, Luke made direct contact with Gray's chest. The darkness around his fist exploded violently, the extra impact sending Gray flying, tumbling along the field before coming to a stop, steam coming from his body.

"Gray-sama!" Juvia exclaimed in worry, nearly leaping out of her seat to see if Gray was alright. Thanks to Mira she was being held down.

"Gray will be fine, Juvia…" Mirajane reassured.

"Not bad, Luke." Cygnus nodded from the stands.

"That one looked like it hurt…" Ena whispered to Kurthnaga.

"No kidding…" Kurthnaga nodded. From the balcony overviewing the Courtyard, Dhegensea and Nasir were watching the Fairy Tail vs. White Eclipse bout, remaining silent during the whole ordeal.

"Ah…" Gray eventually stood up, body covered in bruises and burn marks. Shaking it all off, he gripped his long sleeved shirt before throwing it off, revealing that Devil Slaying tattoo mark along his arm. "New tricks for old foe; you won't be beating me, Luke." A violet glow surrounded the ice maker's body while his hair spiked up slightly. "Ice Devil's…" In one swift movement, Gray sprinted forward created two large blades of ice within both hands. "Bringer!" Infusing his Ice Make with his Devil Slaying allowed Gray to create powerful static creations. With an X crossed slash, he slipped past Luke while sliding to a halt.

"Ugh…!" Luke grunted, arms crossed to take the brunt of the blow. He then grinned, a black and white aura suddenly surrounding his body just after the blow. "White God's Shield…and Black God's Sword. Since we're stepping things up a notch…" Inhaling, black and white began to swirl around the copy cat's lips as his cheeks puffed out. "Bellow…of the Black and White God!" From his mouth, a gigantic vortex of black and white god slaying magic rushed towards Gray, who wasn't too far away.

"..!" A sharp surprised gasp escaped the ice maker. Turning quickly, arms spread apart to create an enormous wall of ice before him. "Ice Make: Rampart!" The dual bellow collided against Gray's wall of ice which began showing signs of weakness quickly, cracking from the force of the bellow. Before Gray knew it, it shattered like glass and he took the blow full force, skidding across the field with some blood spilling from open wounds. "Tch…" With a grunt of annoyance, he quickly put himself back on the offensive. Slamming his fist in his palm, a blue magic seal formed over Luke. "Ice Make: Impact!"

"Wha..!?" Luke looked up, noticing the giant mallet just before it crushed him instantly after impact. Luckily for Luke, he reacted in time by bringing up his Black God's Bubble; the dense black bubble was strong enough to survive the crushing impact before it shattered. Though the brunette didn't have any time to react afterwards; Gray was already on him with blades of ice extending from his arm and opposing arm's elbow. Seven swift slashes were delivered along Luke's body before the finale sent the copy mage soaring until he hit the ground on his back.

"GO GRAY-SAMA!" Juvia cheered at the top of her lungs, arms flailing around overdramatically.

"That ice maker is pretty tough…" Mii commented with a nod of approval.

"…" Reve was silent, eying Luke for a few seconds before a small, barely noticeable grin crossed his lips.

Luke's palm was touching the ground; a black and white magic seal formed in the sky as a result. "Divine…Spear…" Luke whispered just under his breath. From the sky, a spear of black and white shattered the sound barrier and crashed onto Gray, catching everyone by surprise as the explosion blinded everyone.

"W-What the…!?" Natsu covered his eyes from the blinding light and the wind it kicked up.

"Gray!?" Everyone called out worriedly. When the smoke cleared, Gray was face down on the ground, knocked unconscious from the blow.

"Ow…" Luke groaned while standing up, wincing from the heavy blows Gray managed to land. "Geez, that kinda hurt…" Smirking towards Fairy Tail, he only shrugged before limping back to the White Eclipse side.

"Gray-sama…!" Leaping from the stands, Juvia hurried over to Gray's side.

"Whoa, who saw that coming…!?" Kurthnaga was really into it already.

"Very impressive…" Ena had to admit.

"Oh wow…." Mii was genuinely surprised at the result of that battle.

"It's only to be expected…" Reve said while hopping up from his seat, walking into the field now that Gray and Luke were done. "Who wants to lose next?"

"I'll take you on!" Natsu prepared to lunge from his seat, but Erza's arm stopped him. "Huh…?" Natsu blinked before realizing what this meant. Nodding slowly, he actually backed down to let Erza step forward.

"Erza…?" Mii questioned.

"Oh, Erza is next…?" Ena seemed interested, more so than before.

"Oh, a treat?" Reve spoke while sliding his hands into his pockets, grinning towards Titania with his patented cocky grin. "I didn't think I'd get to embarrass you so early, Erza."

"I don't know what you're talking about…" Erza replied while holding her hand forward, a heavenly glow manifesting into a sword that she gripped tightly, staring down Reve with a look of malicious intent. The bad blood between them began to resurface once again; the tension in the air was relatively thick, just like in the building before. "All I know is that this is a chance to shut that mouth of yours for a long time, and the sound of that will be blissful."

"Well, one thing's clear…" Reve began as a single pistol manifested into his hand "Someone's obviously been letting you live in a little fantasy world for a long time now…it's time for you to wake up, Erza."

.

.

The stage is set! Erza vs. Reve once again! Which guild with leave and which guild will stay? It all depends on this battle!

Next Time: It Never Ends: Erza vs. Reve!


	14. Chapter 13: It Never Ends: Erza vs Reve

"These humans are certainly something else, don't you agree?" Nasir commented while watching the White Eclipse vs. Fairy Tail struggle in the Courtyard down below.

"I agree…" Dhegensea nodded slowly. "Rivalries are so intriguing I must admit…the tension between those two requip humans is so fierce I can feel it in the air up here…it's entertaining to see them square off against one another."

"You didn't hear about that wager, did you my King?" Nasir inquired while leaning against the railing.

"Wager?" Dhegensea was clearly uninformed. "What's this about a wager?"

"Ah…" Nasir nodded to himself. "I've been told that the losing guild must leave the island and swallow some pride. Quite a silly thing to say when they've both been brought here because of their abilities, don't you agree?"

"Humans are quite…fickle creatures. They tend to have this want to show their dominance over others…" Dhegensea commented. "They are also quite frail…that is what makes them so interesting. I want to see the limits these humans have…" As he spoke, his eyes slowly drifted towards Mii. Before he didn't acknowledge her in any special way, especially since she may be the one who decides the fate of the island; at the same time her attitude did indeed make such an assumption impossible. For now, he had to wait and see.

.

.

Erza and Reve stood a few yards away from each other, the air thick from the silent tension. A heavenly light began to wrap around Erza's body; seconds later she was revealed in her Heaven's Wheel armor. It only lasted for several more moments before Erza spoke up. "Not only you…but you're entire guild has had it easy for too long. You've made enemies with the worst possible guild. I'd give myself the benefit of the doubt and attack first, but I think it would be rude to ignore White Eclipse's starting ritual. So by all means, Reve. We don't have all day."

Just as Erza requipped into her Heaven's Wheel armor, a similar light appeared around Reve; when it faded, he work a long white jacket that dropped to the back of his knees, donning the White Eclipse insignia on the back. Reve's blue eyes glared directly into Erza's, a small chuckle escaping his lips after. "I can tell by the ugly grin on your mug that you were waiting to say that, but, fine by me. It'll just make your defeat even sweeter. Our tradition of letting the weak attack first isn't just a psychological method; it's for your safety as well. Letting the stronger opponent have the first move is a fundamental mistake…but I digress." After the introductions were over, Reve's blue eyes shifted to a green color, activating his Precision Eyes which allowed both offensive and defensive capabilities. Pushing his hand up, a magic seal appeared just behind his palm, giving him a sudden burst to fire and aim the gun at inhumane speeds. With the use of his Quick Draw ability, Reve fired a single bullet towards Erza, simply waiting for a counterattack.

Erza's eyes narrowed slightly once Reve activated his Precision Eyes; this is what made Reve vs. Erza so interesting. With their constant banter and battles, there was nothing they didn't know about each other. "You're just as creepy as Ichiya with that eye, and what it does, Volver. Erza commented while constructing five…ten…twenty blades around her. "The fact that you only fired one is an insult on its own. You're pathetic." Erza's blades then began to spin around, easily deflecting the bullet with ease. "Dance, my blades!" With that exclamation, ten of those blades rushed towards Reve. This was only a ruse, for Erza wanted to get in closer. After her blades, the scarlet knight dashed towards Reve while pulling the sword in her arm back, only to swing it down in attempt to slash Reve's chest while flying right passed him. After that, the second half of the blades began their assault on the gunslinger.

Merely watching as Erza deflected the single bullet; the patented cocky grin appeared once again. "It's a little early for compliments." Was Reve's reply. Now it was his turn to defend; with Erza and her swords closing in, it didn't take much work to deduce which was the most threatening. With Erza's approach, Reve had to make a risky move. With two pistols in his hands, he first shot down the first ten blades that wanted to skewer him and were shielding the scarlet knight. With Erza's slash, Reve leaned to the side quickly, the blade cutting nothing but the fabric of his shirt; not facing Erza just yet, Reve elected to shoot down the remaining ten swords fired off.

"Wow…" Ena's eyes began sparkling at the impressive fight thus far.

"I hope you didn't think it would be so simple, Erza." Reve then turned, the grin plastered on his face never retiring as dropped a pistol, allowing it to fade into a golden fuzz while another gun appeared in his hands; a sawn off shotgun. With a single click of the trigger, a bullet launched from the shotgun and soared towards Erza; unlike the last bullet, this one split off into three separate bullets and each bullet then split off into another three and so on, growing at an exponential rate. "Burst Shot."

"Erza, watch out!" Lucy exclaimed in worry, almost unable to keep up with the string of bullets racing towards Erza.

Though Erza didn't manage to land any damage on Reve with her assault, it was only the beginning of the battle so there was no need to be discouraged. However, she now had to deal with a growing number of powerful bullets racing at her. A heavenly light wrapped around her body, revealing her Adamantine Armor. With the power of the defensive armor Erza was more than capable of taking the Burst Shot fired by Reve. After that she requipped into her Purgatory Armor, holding the spiked mace within her hands; with a violent swing, a powerful gust of wind was sent in Reve's direction. Following this, Erza then shifted into her Flight Armor to speed forward, only to leap into the air and once again change into her Purgatory Armor, wielding the powerful weapon over her head. "REVE!" Swinging the weapon down, it would create a crater if Reve managed to evade it on time.

"Look out Reve!" Aira exclaimed at Erza's counter.

"…" Reve turned, eyes narrowing at the powerful gust of wind coming in his direction. Left with no other option, the raven-haired male crossed his arms. The wind was strong enough to rip through his jacket and cause some damage, forcing him to slide back. Next up was Erza's assault, which was something he was more than capable of evading….but he had another plan in mind. Dropping the pistol in his left arm, which he then raised up to actually BLOCK the blow Erza delivered; a deafening shockwave boomed out from impact and it took all of Reve's willpower to silence the cry of pain he wanted to so desperately release. In fact, he let out a small yelp because the pain was too much to bear, but Erza was now in his sights and he wasn't letting her go. A magic seal appeared under the two S class mages, and suddenly a plethora of pistols, shotguns, and other types of guns surrounded the two. "Die." Reve's Signature Devil's Wheel; a bombardment began on the two mages, and since Reve was unaffected by his own magic that left Erza to deal with it all; but he wasn't done yet. To gain some space, Reve aimed a swift roundhouse to Erza's stomach to knock her away.

"Wha….?!" Erza was surprised by Reve's insanity: Taking a blow from such a weapon. But she then saw his true purpose. Devil's Wheel was active, yet before she could react the wind was knocked out of her from Reve's kick, sending her stumbling back while trying to catch her breath. Before she knew it, the bullets began raining down on her and a cry of pain escaped the scarlet knight, covering her location in a cloud of smoke.

"Erza!" Fairy Tail exclaimed in worry.

"Did he get her…?" Cygnus questioned while peering into the smoke.

"…" And there was Sidney, remaining silent as always.

"I've been fighting all this time for my family's sake…" Erza spoke as the dust began to settle; she was revealed to be in her Adamantine armor once again, but not entirely. There were several parts that failed to requip in time: hip, thigh, left shoulder; and as a result had large amounts of blood dripping from the wounds. Panting softly, Titania spoke again; "But I forgot one simple thing…" Another heavenly glow wrapped around Erza's body, requipping into her strongest armor: Armadura Fairy. "Reve. You disgust me." Relying on her right arm, she lifted her Fairy Sword into the air as an emerald lightning began to spark around it. Squatting down, refusing to let some injury get the best of her; Erza released the bolt of lightning towards Reve, then sprinted forward. Should Reve take the bait and avoid Erza, that was fine, but he if avoided the bait, Erza was right there ready to slash him across the chest with a small explosion following after.

Erza was still standing, even after Reve's assault. His left arm dangled to the side like the useless limb it now was. Eyes widened in slight panic for the gunslinger as Erza requipped into her strongest armor. This moment of hesitation was what costed him; before he could fully snap back into reality, he was struck with the emerald bolt of lightning, immediately getting hit by Erza's follow up. Reve tumbled across the arena before finally coming to a halt, unmoving. This moment was the longest lasting minute for the White Eclipse members watching. "…..SHIT…." Reve swore as he slowly stood back up, blood dripping from his forehead and his other wounds. His Precision Eyes were no longer active and his eye color returned to normal. Panting heavily, Reve did the unthinkable. "I disgust you…? That's too bad…you should've finished me off when you had the chance. Now, it's time to end this." Yes, Reve was boasting. With his injuries and current position, doing such a thing was unthinkable. With a wicked smile, Reve's eyes shifted from blue to colorless, all while dropping the pistol in his current hand for his favorite gun: the six chambered magnum. "Fall, Titania." With a click of the trigger, a giant bullet taking up half the field rushed towards Erza.

"…!" Erza was surprised that Reve stood up again. She was certain that that slash would be the end of him for this round, but she underestimated them. "Still standing…? Very well…I'll be certain that this next slash is the one that finishes you." Suddenly, they were in a very familiar situation: Erza in her Armadrua Fairy and Reve with his magnum. Dashing forward Erza didn't want to waste strength slashing through the bullet, so instead she strafed to the side…only to be met with the biggest surprise possible. Reve was standing right in front of her, point blank range, with the magnum pointed right at her. "How-!?"

"Bang." Reve clicked the trigger, the massive bullet creating a large explosion that sent Erza flying back, pieces of her armor flying off in the process. Her body was flung like a rag doll until she hit the ground roughly on her back.

"Oh my…!" That even caught Mii off guard.

"E-Erza?! Are you alright!?" Lucy screamed, hoping she would get a response from the lifeless knight.

"How did he…" Wendy stared in utter amazement and worry.

"Foresight…" Reve responded with a slight chuckle.

"It allows him to predict his opponent's moves for a short time. Wherever Erza went, she was finished." Sidney finally spoke.

"Nggh…" Erza groaned, writhing around in pain.

"She's not done yet…?" Ena questioned in wonderment.

"That's a lot of punishment for one human…" Kurthnaga was certainly surprised as well.

Another light surrounded Erza, this time a stronger aura appearing around her body. The stakes were high and she wasn't going down until her body could take no more. The Armor of Nagakuri was what Erza wore while standing up once again, glaring towards Reve. While her body was running low on magic, she did have one plan in mind to finish Reve off. "HAAAA!" With a swing of the lance, Reve's magnum began to fall apart into multiple pieces.

"No way…!?" Cygnus' eyes widened.

"What is that…" Heather commented silently, but in shock as well as everyone else.

"…." Reve's eyes widened, not at Erza's armor, not that she made her last stand. But the fact his magnum was disassembled so easily. But was the cocky gunslinger going to give her any leeway? Of course not. With his arms spread apart, a green aura began to emanate from the S class mage, causing the area to shake. "Come on Titania!? Do you think you can finish me off!? This is it! Now or Never!" Reve's pupils then vanished. Was this outburst for nothing? Was he bluffing?

"You're right…this is it Reve!" Erza gripped her lance, beginning to dash forward for the blow that would end it all. She had to travel across the arena, which seemed like no problem at first until…bang. A bullet flew through her right thigh, causing her to stagger forward. She didn't stop charging but only let out a cry of pain.

"What!?" Ena exclaimed. "Where did that bullet come from!?"

"Devil's Wheel…Long Range." Reve grinned widely. His Target Eyes were active now; he couldn't see what was in front of him, but he could see from the nine sniper rifles hovering out of sight around the arena, all of them pointed at Erza. One bullet after another fired, all of them attempting to finish Erza in her charge. Two bullets missed, the fourth shot her leg, the fifth grazed her cheek, the seventh was a miss, and the eighth nearly took her right arm off. Erza let out a cry of pain as each direct hit landed, but she refused to stop. She finally reached Reve and slashed his chest once again, sending the gunslinger tumbling back, landing on his back with his eyes still open. Did he pass out?

"Ha….Haa…." Erza panted heavily, refusing to fall until she was certain it was over. She was nervous, she was nearly out of magic and her current power depended on that little remainder. Was Reve down?

"Ha…" Reve let out a chuckle, rising to his feet slowly; his eyes were back to normal, but that didn't seem to matter to him. He shoved his hands in his pockets, back turned as he began to walk off. "It's over."

"What!? Don't walk away from this fight, Reve!" Erza demanded, gripping her spear once again.

"Doesn't matter." Reve chuckled once again. "You were always in my sights. It was only a matter of time until you fell." With a snap of his fingers, another bang echoed out. It was too late for anyone to react to it. The bullet struck Erza in the back of the head, causing her eyes to roll to the back of her head, beginning to fall over in a dramatic slow motion. Everyone's eyes widened as Erza hit the ground, unmoving.

"ERZAAAAA!"

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Next Time: Departure.


	15. Chapter 14: Departure

"The pieces are slowly falling into place…" A large male with black hair and red eyes spoke while staring out of a large window, looking into the distance. "The first part of the plan is nearly set. First I'll need that jewel. Then…" This was the infamous Gaius, the one Dhegensea warned everyone else about. He was staring at the other side of the island, specifically at the castle that stood tall. "Dhegensea…soon, you'll get exactly what you deserve…"

.

.

"Mmmm…" Erza slowly began to awaken, eyesight blurry and body burning with an indescribable pain.

"Is she waking up…?" Lucy quickly turned her attention to Erza.

"About time! She's been out for a while…" Mii huffed in a clearly annoyed tone. "This is bad! This is really bad. I can't believe this…"

"Mii-san, please calm down…" Wendy attempted to ease Mii's nerves, but she wasn't having it.

"I didn't get a chance to even fight…" Natsu grumbled. He wasn't mad at Erza for losing, but he was certainly upset he didn't get to kick some ass.

"W-what happened…?" Erza sat up, looking around with a confused look. She was covered in bandages and could hardly tell what was occurring around her.

"Erza…!" Lucy hurried over to Erza's side, letting out a sigh of relief. "Thank goodness you're still alive…you really had us worried."

"Listen here, Erza-san!" Mii huffed again, storming over to Erza while poking her chest. "I cannot believe you went and lost! Now we have to leave this stupid island because you let Reve get the better of you! What were you thinking!?"

"Mii!" Makarov scolded the red head with a glare. This was the first time anyone saw her angry, but right now wasn't the time for such anger. He wouldn't allow Mii to take her anger out on Erza like this. "That's enough!"

"…." Mii growled lowly, crossing her arms before letting out a heavy sigh. "I-I'm sorry…I didn't mean to yell…"

"I lost…." Erza muttered to herself, taking it heavily once it finally set in. "I-I'm sorry everyone…I failed you…"

"It's okay, Erza…you did your best!" Cynthia tried to reassure Erza, but it didn't look as though her words reached. "Erza…"

"Are we really going to leave?!" Was Natsu's big question. "I can't stand leaving everything to those bastards!"

"…We…" Erza started, but the door suddenly flew open. "Huh?"

"Oh, great, you're still here!" Ena hurried into the room, panting heavily. She ran quite the distance to make it to the same building where she left them the day prior. "Ha…Ha…I was so worried…"

"Ena?" Mira blinked slowly. "What brings you here…? We were just about to…"

"T-that's what I'm here for…" Ena responded with a grin. "You see…I know you two made an agreement about leaving this isle depending on who won and lost…but since I'm the Princess, and you're on OUR island, it's what we say goes, not what they say. Therefore, I can effectively overturn that decision immediately."

"No way!" Cana grinned.

"Seriously?!" Wendy was quite excited about this.

"Perks of being friends with royalty, I guess…you slide this time, Erza-san…" Mii let out a relieved sigh.

"Even if they were to go…" Ena's eyes narrowed towards Mii. "You, Ms. Mii…aren't officially affiliated with Fairy Tail, so you couldn't."

"Ah…?" Mii blinked confusedly. Was Ena trying to tell her something? Whatever it was, it flew right over her head.

"Anyway…" Ena continued. "White Eclipse doesn't know about this…they're thinking that you guys are resting before heading off. Kurthnaga and I talked it over and thought this was the best course of action. I believe we truly need the both of you to stave off this war."

"…" There was Erza, still remaining as silent as ever now.

"Oh and…!" Ena walked over to Erza, eyes sparkling with admiration. "That fight was incredible, Erza-senpai! You had me on the edge of my seat! When you unveiled that armor…! And your final stand! I just…!" Ena's gushing over Erza left the knight, and everyone else speechless.

"Erza…?" Lucy began.

"Senpai…?" Erza finished.

"I didn't know a human could be a senpai for a dragon…" Lisanna let out a quiet chuckle. "So…uhm…what are we supposed to do in the meantime? Just…lie low or something?"

"Pretty much." Ena nodded. "Until White Eclipse goes off for battle, you guys have to stay out of sight. Then, when the battle starts and they're having a rough time, BOOM! Fairy Tail arrives as the cavalry and brings back the victory, and the second half of the Scared Jewel!"

"Sounds like you planned this out for a while, huh…?" Levy giggled. "I guess if we have no other choice…"

"If Gildarts were here…" Cynthia started then ended her thought. "Never mind…he's back in Fiore…"

"Anyway…I'll be right back. There are some things I have to tell White Eclipse back at the castle. It shouldn't take too long!" Ena nodded and happily skipped out the door.

"Well, she sure seems energetic…" Mii said with a slight sigh and giggle.

"We're gonna be here a while it seems…" Lucy crossed her arms, turning her attention towards Mii. "I think you should tell us a little more about yourself since you're still stuck here with us for the time being."

"Huh…?" Mii blinked. "More? What else could I tell you?"

"What's your magic?" Lucy sat down, legs crossed while eying the red head.

"My magic…?" Mii paused. "Oh, that's simple…Support Magic, literally!"

"What's that mean…?" Natsu crossed his arms, giving Mii a bland expression.

"It's simple!" Mii threw her hands up, suddenly having a pair of pomp oms in each one. Standing up, the female began to shake them with a grin. "I can cheer someone on and it'll give them a huuuuge moral boost and an overall boost in strength. "I like to call it Cheer Magic!"

"That sounds really neat!" Wendy complimented Mii's magic with a grin.

"That's not all of it, is it?" Laxus on the other hand was uninterested completely in plain old Support Magic.

"Hey, a good cheer can come a long way you know…" Mii huffed, placing her hands on her hips.

"Right…" Laxus merely shrugged before turning to Bickslow. "Oi…find anything out yet?"

"What do you mean by that…?" Lucy was a little clueless on the situation.

"Heh…" There was a small noticeable grin on Bickslow's lips at Lucy's question. "I left one of my guys in a statue at the palace. Since we're all certain that huge lizard didn't tell us everything, I figured we'd at least get some information via eavesdropping. Sure that ain't a problem, right Old Man?"

"As long as you are not discovered. Any new information will be a great help, Bickslow…" Makarov nodded slowly.

"Hyahaha…let's get to work then, Baby!" Bickslow let out a laugh while Figure Eyes activated, using the soul he put in the statue of the castle to give him a good view. It was odd; however…he couldn't see a single thing in the hallway. "Huh…That's odd…"

"What's wrong?" Evergreen asked while fanning herself with that large fan of hers.

"Remember those guards at the palace who kept givin' Laxus the evil eye?" Bickslow began. "Well, for some odd reason…they're all lyin down on the ground, and it doesn't look like they're breathing either…"

"Did something happen at the castle..!?" Natsu sprang up, preparing for any kind of action.

"Is White Eclipse there?" Erza asked begrudgingly.

"Don't think so…maybe they've left already…?" Bickslow shrugged.

"Hm…" Lucy kept her eyes on the Raijinshu while walking over to the sink to prepare a glass of water. "I wonder what could've happened…" She left the glass half full and started to tilt it to her lips.

"STOOOOOOOOP!" Ena bolted through the doors, running towards Lucy and slapping the glass of water from her hand. "Do NOT DRINK THAT WATER!"

"E-Ena?!" Lucy jumped from the princess's sudden entry, eyes wide. "W-What are you doing back so soon!?"

"We have a problem!" Ena was panting heavily, trying to catch her breath. "W-We were gravely mistaken about Gaius!"

"What do you mean!?" Erza questioned, standing up immediately.

"W-We knew he had to make the first move…but he's been a step ahead of us this entire time!" Ena was panicking now. "He had one of his subordinates, Venoma, poison the water supply!"

"WHAT?!" Juvia was the first to stand up, absolutely outraged that water would be used in such a horrendous fashion. "Why would they…?!"

"It was a ploy…." Ena continued. "Poisoning all the water in our current supply, save for the Mystic Water. They can't touch that…unfortunately they sealed the lake off for now. And to make matters even worse, they kidnapped Nasir! He has the other half of the Gem and…!"

"They're moving so fast already…!?" Mii hopped up. "Wow, who would've thought the enemy was so crafty…where's White Eclipse when ya need 'em?"

"We DON'T need them," Natsu replied to Mii's remark with a scowl. "But yeah, where did those bastards run off to, eh?"

"As soon as things started occurring, they left immediately! They're already heading out to Gaius' castle as we speak." Ena nodded slowly. "I would like you guys to head out immediately as well, but not before speaking with Father on the situation at hand. He will fill you in on what you need to know about Gaius and his men…He is waiting by the Gates on the other side of the city."

"What about the poisoned…?" Wendy was clearly still concerned for those who were caught in the attack from the poisonous water.

"We're doing everything we can for them as we speak…but please, don't concern yourselves with the people, attacking Gaius is the highest priority!"

"But…" Wendy began.

"You can't save them all." Mii spoke, her tone grim compared to her usual cheery self. She was blunt and there may have been a little regret in her tone as she spoke. "Your team needs your powers right now. You can't waste them attempting to save everyone. You'll only be slowing down the bleeding when you need to take down the root of problem."

"Mii!" Mirajane huffed. "Don't say things like that! It's not a waste to try and…"

"Lying to a child isn't something I'm capable of," Mii responded with a serious tone. "You need her and you know it."

"Wendy…" Cynthia placed her hand on Wendy's shoulder.

"Okay…" Wendy nodded slowly, placing her hand on Cynthia's with a soft smile. "I'll fight with you guys."

"Glad to hear it." Carla gave a slow nod…it was around then that her eyes widened, having a sudden vision. It was hazy and unclear, but it showed Natsu, Lucy, Wendy, and Cynthia down in the face of a towering figure, while Mii was standing by without giving anyone any help. "…!"

"Carla…?" Wendy tilted her head. "Are you okay…?"

"Ah…I'm fine!" Carla responded with a forced grin. "Let's not linger here any longer. Ena, to the gate please?"

"Oh, right…follow me…"

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.

The gate to the other side of the island was guarded by Dhegensea and Kurthnaga, both of whom looked on in interest as Fairy Tail approached. "Ah…There they are…" Kurthnaga let out a sigh of relief, glad Ena caught them before they departed. "Oi, over here!"

"What's the situation now?" Erza asked.

"White Eclipse has already gone on ahead." Kurthnaga pointed to the gate. "The Ghost Mage they had fought our gate's guardian to prove they were worthy of crossing over. It was a pretty intense match that looked even…"

"Sidney is even with a dragon…? How strong is this guy…!?" Gray sucked his teeth.

"You'll have to do the same." A female clad in brown armor and a helmet walked forward, standing in front of the gate with her arms crossed. "Sidney Castle proved he and his guild were capable of fighting a dragon on par with Gaius. Before you can cross, you'll have to do the same. Or it'll all be for naught."

"We don't have time for this! It's not manly!" Elfman protested.

"…That voice…" Natsu's eyes narrowed at the armored female before them. She seemed highly familiar, but he couldn't put his nose on it even though the scent was strong. "That scent…is that…?"

"It's a safety measure," Dhegensea replied. "The match will last five minutes…long enough to determine but short enough as to not waste time."

"Ah…" Mii stepped forward, pointing her index finger at herself! "Allow me to fight in Fairy Tail's name!"

"YOU!?" Deadpanned look across all the Fairy Tail members.

"Of course!" Mii grinned brightly. "C'mon, let me show you what I can do when I try!"

"Shaking pom poms won't help us in the slightest here, baby," Bickslow shook his head.

"I say let her attempt," Dhegensea's input shocked just about everyone. "Surely there's a reason she's still on his island, correct?"

"See, the old lizard gets it…Er, I mean the king…" Stepping forward once again, Mii stood a few feet away from the armored guard. "Just leave it to Mii!" Pun intended, some groans and eye rolls following.

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Next Time: The War Begins!


	16. Chapter 15: The War Begins

"Just leave it to Mii!"

"Ugh…" The amount of groaning from Mii's terrible pun let her know it was a success.

"We're not really placing any faith in her, are we…?" Levy was rather skeptical about all of this and for good reason.

"I wanna see how this'll turn out to be honest, gihehe…" Gajeel was indeed eager to see how Mii would fare in a fight.

"Okay!" With a grin, Mii rotated her shoulders while waiting for the gate guardian to make her move. "Let's get started, we don't have all day after all!" Before she knew it, the ground suddenly rose under her feet, throwing her off balance; a pillar of earth then rushed in her direction, slamming into her frontage, sending her flying backwards until she hit the ground harshly on her back.

"Ooooooh…." Cynthia cringed at the hit. "That didn't look good…"

"Okay…" Mii stood up, dusting herself off with a few bruises marring her fair skin. "Now I'm ready!"

"You talk too much…" The female guardian let out a small groan before raising a hand up, creating several sharp stones that pointed forward towards Mii. "Put up, or shut up!" With a wave of her hand, the female dragon sent these stones shooting forward towards Mii at an alarming rate.

"Yeesh, not much of a friendly one are you…" Mii sighed, placing a hand on her hip. "Fine, fine…if you want me to actually take you a little seriously…" In one fluid motion, Mii formed a small, yet interestingly designed black and red pistol with a yellow grip and a flowery design. "Purple Pot!" In the same second she drew the pistol and began firing small, but powerful bullets forward. Each one destroyed the rocky spikes headed her way and landed against the armor of the guardian, causing her to stagger back a step. "There, that good enough for you?"

"Wha…" Lucy blinked at Mii's sudden grasp of a pistol. "I didn't know she could do that…I thought…"

"She's been holding out on us…" Gray narrowed his eyes and kept silence.

"Now it's my turn!" Mii grinned, twirling around the pistol known as Purple Pot around before pointing it to the ground. "Heheh…" With a click of the trigger, a small bullet shot directly into the ground; this small bullet quickly turned into a large sphere of energy that cut through the ground it traveled and directly hurtled towards the guardian.

"Earth Pillar…" The guardian uttered, causing a wall of stone to rise and protect her from the sphere of magic. The wall didn't last and shattered on impact, but this didn't stop the guardian from going on the offensive. The guardian raised her foot and stomped on the ground, creating multiple stalagmites that rose under Mii's feet instantly.

"Gah…!" Mii was quick to hop into the air, using her free hand to tug her skirt down so no one could look; to believe that was cause of her worries instant of the being she was fighting. In the next instant, the guardian was in her face with stones wrapped around her fists. SLAM! Mii's face was hit by the fist and she was sent rocketing to the ground but she didn't get a chance to breathe; the guardian then slammed her knee into Mii's gut, knocking the wind out of her.

"Earth Roar…" The guardian mumbled while reaching Mii's location within seconds, cheeks inflated with stones swirling around her revealed lips. Throwing her head forward, the guardian released a potent roar of earth that consumed Mii completely, sending her rocketing into the nearest building and some parts of it collapsed on top of her shortly after.

"Mii-san…!" Wendy exclaimed in worry whilst the others cringed since it looked painful.

"Oh…even I felt that one…" Kurthnaga said while rubbing the back of his neck.

"Me too…" Ena remarked.

"That was almost enough for me to wince…" Dhegensea admitted.

"I suppose those five minutes won't be necessary, unfortunately…" The guardian spoke while rotating her wrists. "Such a shame…"

"Oi, oi…" Mii called out, standing from the rubble too quickly after being hit hard. She was cut and cruised in various places and didn't look too happy about it, but she still wore a smile. "I guess this really is serious then…? Fine, fine…I'll show you what I can do when I get serious…" Mii's cheery tone slowly dropped to something more serious, catching everyone's attention. This was the first time since meeting her that she's shown any type of seriousness instead of her usual carefree attitude.

"Is that the same Mii…?" Lucy was the first one to comment on it.

Mii pointed Purple Pot to the ground, clicking the trigger quickly. A small bullet quickly made its way into the ground, growing exponentially growing larger with each passing second as it raced towards the guardian; within seconds it launched itself from the ground with size equaling that of a meteor and the speed was just as high!

"WHOA!" Natsu exclaimed in surprise.

"Incredible…" Erza muttered under her breath.

"…!" The guardian was surprised by the sudden show of power by Mii. Even so, she would not go down so easily. Raising her arms, the large bullet collided against her frontage. A large explosion occurred, creating a powerful gust of wind that threatened to throw the smaller beings off their feet.

"Wah!?" Cynthia had to latch onto Wendy to prevent from being thrown away, and vice versa.

"Whoa…!" Kurthnaga's eyes widened, using his arm to shield them from the high speed winds. But at the same time there was a grin on his lips. "She's actually pretty strong…!"

"…" Dhegensea stood with his arms folded along his chest, staring silently at the battle occurring.

As the smoke cleared from impact, the armor of the guardian was broken off, though the mask still remained. "I wonder where you picked this one up from…" The guardian spoke in a familiar tone to the Fairy Tail spectators, though they were unsure why she was talking to them. "Right then…" Shaking her arms off from impact, the guardian glanced towards Mii. "Clearly you were holding back. Why don't you show me something more powerful? I can sense the strength you wish to reveal now that you're serious."

"Mii-san was holding back with that attack…?" Wendy stared in amazement. She could hardly believe someone so carefree could have a serious attitude.

"Who is she…?" Erza questioned silently to herself once again.

"Awww…" Mii huffed, not pleased by the result. "Purple Pot wasn't good enough…? Okay, fine. I didn't want to have to spoil this so soon, but you're not giving me much of a choice…" Dropping the small pistol, Mii held one hand out, a golden light occurring within her hands. Soon, a large single barreled rifle appeared in her hands; it was twice her size. "Dragon Hadlar."

"That's Dragon Hadlar…?" Erza leaned forward a little. Though she wasn't an expert in all the weapons of requip, Dragon Hadlar was a legend among them. "Why does she have that…!?"

"Now this is getting interestin…." Laxus said while crossing his arms.

Mii split Dragon Hadlar into two rifles, holding each one within both hands. With excellent aim, she began firing multiple bullets towards the guardian, spraying with no intention of letting up. "Extensions!"

The guardian raised a hand before placing it firmly on the ground; a pillar of earth appearing before her and shielding her from the onslaught of bullets. The downside was that she was seemingly pinned down by the rain of bullets. No matter for her, as another magic seal appeared under Mii, aiming to push her up with a rising stalagmite that exploded violently. "…"

"Whoa…!?" Mii was caught off guard by the explosion under her. Tossed into the air, though it didn't take long for her to regain her balance with a graceful flip; clicking the two rifles together into one. Taking aim once more, a single bullet released from the conjoined rifle. Only it wasn't like the previous Purple Pot bullet or a regular bullet from before; it was more like a blast that was capable of ripping through half of a city flying towards the guardian.

"…..!" A surprised gasped escaped the guardian at the size of the beam coming her way. She crossed her arms, a dome of earth appearing around her. It didn't last against the gigantic beam and shattered almost instantly, causing the guardian to slide back. When the smoke from the attack cleared, the guardian was still seen standing with most of her armor ruined, but it was clear she was damaged from the attack.

"How was that?" Mii landed on the ground, allowing Dragon Hadlar to vanish.

"…Extraordinary." The Guardian admitted with a nod before turning to Dhegensea. "They are allowed to pass."

"Wow, that was incredible, Mii!" Lucy couldn't help but cheer.

"Are you okay? Do you need healing?" Wendy questioned, preparing to heal Mii if necessary.

"Ah…? O-Oh, no, I'm fine, really!" Mii said while waving a dismissive hand. "It didn't even hurt."

"A-Are you sure…?" Wendy cocked her head to the side.

"I've had worse." Mii assured.

"Let's go already!" Natsu shouted as the gates started to open.

"Wait…before you do." Kurthnaga halted Natsu. "There's something you must know about Gaius and those that follow him. First off, Venoma…a dangerous poison dragon that can contaminate dragons and dragon slayers alike…her poison is extremely powerful. One hit from that and it can put you down almost instantly. Drake…probably one of the most dangerous dragons to ever exist…."

"Is he that powerful?" Lucy asked.

"Not really," Kurthnaga continued. "But he has infection ability. If he bites a dragon or a dragon slayer…he can cause dragonization."

"WH…" Natsu, Gajeel, Wendy, Laxus, and Cynthia's eyes widened at this information.

"D-Dragonization…!?"

"That's right." Ena nodded. "Whatever you do, do NOT let him near you, Dragon Slayers."

"And Gaius…" Dhegensea spoke now. "He is crafty…he will do whatever it takes to trick you. He is a powerful behemoth on his own with his flames, but he will do anything to ensure you flip sides. I told this to White Eclipse and hope they don't fall prey to his words."

"A fire dragon?" Natsu grinned, pounding his fists together. "I can take him no problem."

"Our job is to rescue Nasir and defeat Gaius before he can use the Scared Gem to sink the island to the ocean…" Erza stated. "Sounds clear cut to me. Fairy Tail, are we ready to move?"

"Aye!"

"Then go forth!" Kurthnaga stepped to the side to allow Fairy Tail. "Along with White Eclipse…please, save our island!"

"You don't have to tell us twice! I'm all fired up now!" Natsu exclaimed with a wide grin. With that, Fairy Tail finally began their trek off, but Juvia was lagging a little behind for some reason. As Natsu walked past the guardian, she gave him a firm nod. It was then Natsu finally deduced who it was and nodded back. "I knew it…"

"What's wrong, Natsu…?" Lucy couldn't help but question. "Do you know her…?"

"We do." Natsu replied. "That was Gaia. You know, Cosmic Star's Ace? That Gaia."

"What is she doing here….?!" Lucy nearly shouted.

"I dunno…" Natsu replied with a shrug. "We don't have time to ask, but when we get back we can. For now, let's focus on catching up with White Eclipse, can't let those bastards think they've got the upper hand."

.

"Wait…!" A weak cry caused Juvia to halt in her tracks before she could latch onto Gray's side. She turned along with Dhegensea, Ena, and Kurthnaga. The white haired boy she saw from before slowly limped towards them.

"Mizu!?" Ena rushed over to him, but he stopped just before Juvia.

"You're the boy Juvia saw earlier…" Juvia commented. "You're hurt…from the water poisoning, yes…?"

"You're a water mage…right…?" Mizu coughed, staring up at Juvia. "Please…save my parents…"

"I…" Juvia's eyes widened at such a request. Before she could ask anymore Mizu fell over into Ena's arms. "Juvia will…Juvia promises."

"Juvia, hurry up! We're going to leave you behind!" Gray exclaimed from afar.

"O-Oh! Juvia is coming, Gray-sama!" With that she hurried off to catch up to Gray. "A water dragonling wishing for Juvia's help…I won't let you down, Mizu."

.

.

Pergrande Kingdom.

In the throne of the large castle sitting near the coast of the Pergrande Kingdom sat its King, shrouded by the darkness. All anyone could see of him was his large shadow sitting comfortably on the throne. The large double doors opened revealing a lowly soldier walking through, taking a knee once within the King's presence. "My King, we have some news!"

"What is it…?" The King's voice was deep and menacing, something that demanded absolute respect.

"It's about them. Our radar has shown a tremendous spike in magic pressure occurring about…" A lacrima map appeared showing the entirety of Ishgar; a small beacon popped onto the map just east of the coast of Fiore. "Right here!"

"Ah, so they've found the island, have they…?" The King chuckled. "Excellent report."

"What shall we do, sire?" The solider asked.

"You needn't worry about that. Just know that we'll be keeping close tabs on that island…very close tabs…"

.

.

Next Time: Battle Royale!


	17. Chapter 16: Battle Royal!

"I see you've come…" Gaius sat on his little throne while staring at the White Eclipse members whom he let easy access into the castle he built. "I've been expecting you."

"We're not here to be your friends." Reve remarked while pulling out a pistol, keeping it trained on Gaius, aimed right between his eyes. "We've a mission to do, and you just made it ten times easier by letting us walk right on in. Unless you're confident you can take us all on?"

"I think you've misunderstood my intentions, human…" Gaius said while resting his head on his fist, crossing one leg over the other. "If I wanted to make sure you didn't get inside, my guards would've torn you apart on the spot."

"Where's Nasir?" Aira questioned, undaunted from Gaius' remark.

"Oh, he's safe and sound, don't worry…" Gaius responded to Aira with a small grin before continuing. "I let your guild in here because I simply wish to talk. There are some issues that need to be clarified, you know…"

"Oh yeah?" Reve kept his pistol trained on Gaius, Precision Eyes active in the event any sudden movements were made. "And what's that…?"

"You see…" Gaius finally stood, the towering man standing well above the humans. "It's about Dhegensea, and his motives…."

.

.

Fairy Tail traversed through a large open field with large rocks scattered all over at every turn. Lucy glanced around; taking note of the dim clouds that took over the sky. "Dark and gloomy…" She muttered before a sharp pain occurred in her chest, causing her to cringe. "Ah…!"

"Are you okay…?!" Natsu was quick to check up on her, but Lucy swatted away his hand. "Eh…!?"

"Don't touch me…" Lucy growled for a second before calming down, letting out a heavy exhale. "…S-Sorry…I don't know what came over me…"

"It's all right…" Natsu nodded, though he was slightly cautious of how he should approach Lucy. She was acting odd since returning from her solo job before they left for the island. "Hmmm…"

"It looks like you two need a little team building exercise!" The bruised and slightly beat up Mii exclaimed while wrapping her arms around both Natsu and Lucy's necks. "Why don't you let ol' Mii here help you out, eh?"

"I don't think that would help…" Lucy responded coldly, causing Mii to back off.

"Yeowch…the cold shoulder…." Mii shrugged, taking a few steps back from the pair. "All right, that's fine…" It was around then that the ground began to tremble violently, causing everyone to halt in their tracks.

"W-What's going on…?!" Cana asked while frantically looking around.

"I-I don't know…" Wendy responded before Cynthia immediately leaned on her, feeling sick from Motion Sickness. "Cynthia…!" A few moments passed and the tremors slowly died down. "W-What was that…?"

"You don't think this is a result of them trying to sink the island, do you?" Gray suggested.

"If that's the case, then we have to hurry…" Erza replied. "White Eclipse won't be able to handle those Dragons on their own…no matter how strong they boast themselves to be."

"…Wait a second." Natsu halted, sniffing the air around. "Something's not right…" Shortly after that, the ground suddenly opened up beneath Natsu and Lucy, causing them both to fall. "WAH!?"

"AAAH!?" Lucy flailed while free falling towards the underground.

"Wha?!" Everyone jumped back to avoid getting swallowed up. "The ground-"

"Natsu! Lucy!" Happy was quick to fly down after them and the ground quickly started to close after he jumped down.

"Happy, get Lucy!" Natsu demanded while flipping around to right himself in the air.

"Aye sir!" Happy nodded and flew behind Lucy, now flying towards the entrance that was quickly sealing up. "Ah?!"

"It's closing!?" Lucy panicked. "Hurry up!"

"You're heavy and it's slowing me down…!" Happy replied with a comical pained expression. Just before they could escape back to above ground, the hole closed up; both Lucy and Happy hit the ceiling and fell right back to the ground, twitching from the impact. "Heavy…"

.

.

"W-What the hell just happened!?" Gajeel looked between the others, but he was unable to get an answer.

"I-I don't know…" Levy said while patting the ground that just opened up. "C-Can we get them out!?"

"I'll try something." Erza stepped forward and everyone took a few steps back. Holding her hand up, Titania requipped the mace that went along with her Pugatory armor. "HAAA!" Swinging the mace down towards the ground, enough power to completely shatter it was put into the swing. However when contact was made, the ground didn't budge. "W-What the…?"

"Nothing happened…" Levy narrowed her eyes. "What is with this island…" Before she could fully take into account everything that happened thus far, the ground began to quiver once again and a loud roar echoed throughout the canyon, causing her to stand up. "W-Wha…!?"

"Something's coming!" Gray turned to see what the source of that noise was. Seconds later, a gray dragon dropped from the sky, a powerful shockwave emitting from the landing, strong enough to send everyone off their feet and flying back. "Gah!" Gray tumbled along the rocky ground before catching himself and sliding to a halt on his hand. "W-What the hell…!? A dragon…!"

"Not sure why you're acting so surprised…" Mii grunted while dusting herself off. "Although, it is looking at us like we're its next dinner…"

"This must be one of Gaius' men…" Freed deduced. "But if that's the case, White Eclipse should've already clashed with this dragon…yet it's completely free of damage. No marks, no nothing! Did they even fight this thing!?"

"No time to think about that!" Laxus stepped forward, cracking his knuckles as sparks began to dance around his body. "You guys go on ahead. Get to that castle, meet up with that idiot and Lucy, and I'll catch up."

"Laxus, are you sure!? We're right here, you know!" Bickslow exclaimed.

"GO!" Laxus barked his orders at the Raijinshu.

"He's right…" Evergreen patted Bickslow on the shoulder before nodding. "Don't get killed."

"You forget who you're talking to?" Laxus replied with a small smirk before glancing towards Makarov, who gave a silent nod and lead Fairy Tail in the direction of Gaius' castle. It wasn't that much farther, just over the large hill. "Good…" Laxus then turned to the gray dragon, tilting his head to crack his neck. "Let's dance."

"Puny human…you don't understand what you're dealing with…!" The dragon bellowed before raising a hand, bringing it down on Laxus with earth destroying force. The impact was enough to cause the ground to break apart in some places. "King Gaius shall rule!"

"Ha…" Laxus let out a small chuckle before utilizing his Lightning Body, zipping into the air at the speed of well, lightning. He evaded the slam with ease, quickly appearing at the top of the dragon's head; hands together, fingers interlocked. "Jaw of the Lightning Dragon!" Laxus' fist slammed on the dragon's cranium, a vicious discharge of lightning occurring on impact. The force was enough to slam the dragon back onto the ground violently, creating a small tremor. "How about you pick on someone your own size first before anything else? Otherwise you just look like an idiot." Laxus landed on the ground, arms crossed with his coat blowing in the wind.

Lifting itself up, the dragon shook its head, looking as if the blow from Laxus was a bite from a little bug. "Ha…too bad I don't see anything my size. I suppose I'll just have to settle for you as a light snack, then?" Opening its mouth, the dragon released a funnel of flames in Laxus's direction, the large wave completely consuming him.

"Tch…!" Laxus' eyes widened; every direction was nearly sealed off within the sea of fire. But even so…the Lightning Dragon slayer smirked slightly. "Lukewarm flames…" He muttered. "I've felt flames hotter than these before…so these flames of yours, dragon…they can't even burn me!" Arms uncrossed and thrown to his sides, a massive burst of lightning dispelling most of the flames, leaving lingering embers across the rocky landscape. "You call that fire? You don't hold a candle to that hot headed idiot…"

.

.

"Ugh…" Lucy stood up, shaking her head. "That was really weird…what happened…?"

"The ground…" Natsu said while rubbing his head. "Happy, are you okay?"

"A-Aye…" Happy had swirls in his eyes, though he was just over exaggerating Lucy's weight once again.

"How do we get out of here…?" Lucy questioned while looking around. There were multiple tunnels, all of which likely leading to a different location.

"My nose…it doesn't really work down here…" Natsu grunted in annoyance.

"The guests have arrived…!" The sound of clapping echoed through the small cavern, causing both Natsu and Lucy to turn. A petite woman with short blonde hair, emerald eyes, and clad in a white coat walked in. Alongside her was a large, bulky male with curly red hair, a rigid face, and also clad in a white coat. "Oh…" The female sighed after looking Natsu and Lucy over. "Are these the people they were talking about…looking rather…lackluster…"

"Hmph…" The brutish male simply nodded in agreement. "I didn't realize we were being sent to check on weaklings…"

"Weaklings?!" Natsu pounded his fist together, flames erupting around his arms. "You workin' for Gaius!?"

"Who?" The female blinked before shrugging. "Oh, no…not him. We serve a different king. Allow me to introduce myself…I am Laura, and my friend here is Lex. And we're here to test you…well, that was the plan, but now it looks like we're going to end up killing you just by playing around."

"What was that…!?" Natsu growled before wasting no more time, lunging forward towards Laura with his arm cocked back. "We'll show you how strong we are! Iron Fist of the Fire Dragon!"

"Lex, please…" Laura said while waving her hand.

"Hmph…" Lex jumped forward and held up his arm, blocking Natsu's fist with ease, though he did slide back a few inches. "Interesting power level…but I hope that's not all of it…" Lex then grabbed Natsu's arm and flung him to the opposite side of the cavern; Lex quickly chased after, a heavenly glow appearing within his hand, which manifested into a stout axe-blade. "I will be your opponent!"

"Natsu!" Lucy turned as Natsu was thrown away and was immediately prepared to assist him, but a bolt of lightning just to her side caused her to jump. "Ha!?"

"Okay Blondie…" Laura said while forming small 'daggers' of lightning between her knuckles (like claws), grinning towards Lucy. "Don't disappoint me now." With a two flicks of both wrists, Laura sent the daggers of lightning towards Lucy at an alarming speed.

"Tch…!" Lucy sucked her teeth before preparing herself; the celestial wizard dove hard to the right to evade the daggers, landing on her feet before holding a hand up. "Star Dress: Taurus!" A glow appeared around Lucy's body; her hair was done up into two buns, and she was wearing the Taurus attire with her whip at the ready. Lucy raised her whip before slamming it onto the ground, creating a shockwave that travelled towards Laura at a breakneck pace.

"Child's play!" Laura gracefully evaded the incoming shockwave with a flip; with surprising speed, the blonde quickly approached Lucy with another set of lightning daggers forming. Once reaching Lucy before the shockwave even finished, Laura began slashing at Lucy who barely evaded by stepping backwards. "Come on, don't just dance around me!"

"Agh…" Lucy grit her teeth before standing her ground, balling her hands into a fist and threw a punch at Laura. To her surprise, Laura ended up blocking the hit and didn't even cringe, which was bad because this was with Taurus' added strength. "No way…"

"What's the matter?" Laura questioned with a wide grin, slamming a fist into Lucy's stomach, causing her to double over breathlessly; Laura continued, aiming a spinning roundhouse right to Lucy's temple. The blow was strong enough to send Lucy tumbling along the ground before coming to a stop on her hands and knees. The short haired female didn't stop there, she then threw three of her daggers at Lucy, all three of them surrounding the celestial wizard in a triangle formation with her in the middle. "Lightning Trap."

Lucy was still recovering from the harsh blow and needed to get her bearings straight. Before she could, however, the three daggers landed around her. A triangular magic seal formed under her and a powerful discharge of lightning occurred, a small barrier forming to keep her from escaping until the attack was finished. "Ack…!" A strangled cry of pain escaped the Fairy Tail wizard until the attack finished and Lucy collapsed onto her stomach, sparks dancing around her body.

Meanwhile, Natsu was dealing with Lex. After being thrown, the Salamander quickly flipped and pressed his feet against the wall, flames erupting around his body. "Fire Dragon's…" Pushing off the wall, now launching himself headfirst towards Lex. "Sword Horn!" BAM! Direction contact. Natsu slammed himself into Lex's sternum, causing him to slide back a few feet, almost falling over. Natsu used this time to follow up with a fiery kick. "Fire Dragon's Claw!" Slamming his flaming foot into Lex's face, causing the bulky male to collapse on his back. "Heh…the bigger they are, the harder they fall after all…" Natsu spoke with a cocky grin.

"The smaller the fry, the more they boast…" Lex replied while standing up, brushing off Natsu's attacks like nothing.

"Ah…" Natsu was surprised at first, but this just meant these two were nothing to take lightly.

"Haaaaaaaaa….." Lex let out a shout before a red aura briefly surrounded his body, pushing away some of the rubble. "Now it's my turn!" Lex dashed towards Natsu at the same speed, now delivering some slashes with his axe-blade. Natsu stepped to the side while backing away, feeling the immense power behind Lex's swings. "Die!" Lex swung his blade towards the ground, causing a large pillar of earth to rise up under Natsu's feet and throw him into the air.

"Guh?!" Natsu was thrown off guard by suddenly flying into the air, but he caught himself and raised his hands over his head, creating a gigantic fireball. "Dazzling Blaze of the Fire Dragon!" Throwing his arms down, releasing the large blaze like a meteor towards Lex.

"Pathetic!" Lex shouted while the red aura returned, causing him to power up and he slashed clean through the Dazzling Blaze like butter, leaving Natsu shocked.

"He cut through it…?! What is this guy…" Natsu muttered before landing on the ground in a crouched position, one hand resting on the rocky surface. "We'll just try this again…" Darting from his position, Natsu made his way over to Lex and grabbed his collar with a grin once getting close. "Fire Draogn's…Grip!" From his palm, an explosive burst of fire occurred, covering a large section of the cavern. Natsu was certain this attack would deal a heavy amount of damage if not put Lex down, but he was dead wrong about that. Before the smoke could even clear, Lex slammed his fist into Natsu's face with enough force to send him flying, though before he could Lex then grabbed Natsu's leg and hurled him in Lucy's direction, the two crashing into each other. "Agh…"

"Natsu! Lucy…!" Happy cried out in worry upon seeing their condition in this battle.

"How boring…I didn't think these 'heroes' would be so disappointing…but it was like taking candy from a baby…" Laura said with a shake of her head.

"Disappointing…I didn't even have to power up that much…" Lex sighed.

"They're strong…" Lucy struggled to pick herself up, but managed to do so, though she was hunched over slightly. "Who are these guys…?"

"I dunno…" Natsu responded while standing up. Even in the middle of this danger, there was a smirk drawn on his lips. "But it's been a while since I've gotten to punch something…so there's only one thing I can say to this." His fist pounded together yet again, flames erupting around his entire body again. "I'm all fired up."

.

.

Standing at the castle gates of Gaius' castle were Fairy Tail. Sounds of Laxus fighting the dragon in the distance could be heard, though they tried to keep their minds on the task at hand. Laxus was going to be fine. "Finally…let's grab Nasir and put an end to this thing. If I know Natsu, he'll show up before we even reach Gaius."

"I don't think that'll be happening any time soon, Fairy Tail…" That voice belonged to none other than Reve. He was standing at the top of the castle gates, pointing a pistol down at them.

"Reve?! What the hell are you doing!?" Erza shouted. "Don't you know we're on the same side!?"

"Same side?" Reve tilted his head to the side before shaking it. "You're still working with that old fossil Dhegensea? That's a bad idea."

"A bad idea?!" Juvia couldn't believe what she was hearing. "But…Dhegensea was the one who assigned us this task…and Ena and Kurthnaga…!"

"I thought we were on the same side here…?" Mii looked between Fairy Tail and Reve, question marks appearing above her head.

"Didn't he tell you Gaius would try some dirty tricks to get you on his side?" Gray raised a brow. "Funny, I didn't think you guys were stupid enough to fall for them."

"We didn't hear anything about any tricks…" Reve shrugged. "Although, we did hear some interesting information…we'll tell you if you wise up and listen to what Gaius has to say. Otherwise, this may get ugly for you all."

"Reve, put that weapon down this instant." Makarov demanded, but it just made Reve laugh.

"That's rich, old man. Last time I checked, I didn't follow your orders." Reve responded with a snarky grin. "Last chance, you gonna waltz in peacefully, or are we going to have to beat the lesson into your head again?"

"I'm getting sick of that one's attitude…" Juvia grumbled.

"I'll take 'em down a notch…" Gajeel said with a widening grin. "After we knock some sense into you guys, we'll take care of the rest!"

.

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White Eclipse has sided with the enemy!? What could be the meaning behind this?! Who are the mysterious figures fighting against Natsu and Lucy?

Next Time: Castle Siege!


	18. Chapter 17: Castle Siege

Ena stared out the castle window into the distance where Fairy Tail had gone to assist White Eclipse and fight against Gaius. The longer she stared into the horizon, the more she felt as though there was something terribly wrong occurring. "Erza-senpai…Fairy Tail…please be okay…"

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Gaius sat on his throne, grinning at all the sounds of battle occurring within the castle. Just from that he could tell that Fairy Tail and White Eclipse were clashing within or outside the walls. "Ha…" The want to be dragon king chuckled heartily, pleased with his work. "This is what you wanted, isn't it?" He wasn't talking to himself; he was talking TO someone else.

"Yes…" Nasir stood beside Gaius' throne, giving a nod. He held in his hand the other half of the Scared Jem. "Dhegensea will get what he deserves. It's only a matter of time before the pieces all fit into place…and these humans are going to ensure that it happens."

"Now then…where's that special visitor you mentioned?" Gaius questioned while turning to face Nasir. "They are coming, yes?"

"Yes…" Nasir nodded with a small grin stretching along his lips. "

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CRASH! Laxus found himself flying backwards after an impact from the fire dragon's tail. "Ugh..!" With a grunt, the slayer flipped and slid across the ground on his heels. Something was certainly broken after such a blow, but Laxus wasn't going to let a simple broken bone slow him down.

"Have you had enough, human?" The dragon questioned with a condescending grin plastered on its lips, fangs bearing as though he was looking at his next snack. "Or shall I continue to loosen up those muscles of yours? It'll allow for easy digestion…"

"Tch…" Laxus grunted, using the back of his hand to wipe away some blood dripping from his mouth. "The only thing you'll be eatin' is this dirt here.

"That's cute…humans trying to act like the bigger creatures when pinned down…" The dragon chuckled…and shortly after a bolt of lightning dropped down from the sky, smiting the dragons. "GGGHHH…!" The dragon grunted in slight pain before the bolt dispersed. Even after being stricken by lightning, it couldn't help but grin, "Oh…? So, that's what pain feels like…interesting. I didn't realize dragon slayers nowadays could actually begin to live up to their names…but even so, dragons are far superior…"

"Still going on about that nonsense?" Laxus didn't seem fazed.

"Perhaps you can think about that while I make a roast from your corpse!" Inhaling briefly, the dragon then threw its head forward, unleashing a vicious funnel of flames in his direction.

"Rune Magic, nullify that attack!" Freed stepped forward, swiping his sword to create a barrier of runes before Laxus. It wasn't strong enough to completely stave off the entire dragon's roar, but it shattered leaving the Raijinshu with the last brunt of it. "Agh…." Freed scoffed before glancing at Laxus.

"Took you long enough…" Laxus replied with a slight grin. "Needed someone to make sure the old man and the others made it there in one piece…"

"I knew you wouldn't kick us out of a fight like this even if your life depended on it, kyahaha…" Bickslow chuckled while standing atop his wooden dolls.

"Plus, we'd never leave you behind!" Evergreen said while fanning herself gently.

"Great, even more morsels for supper…" The dragon grinned towards the four mages, licking its lips.

.

.

Just outside the castle walls: Wendy and Cynthia vs. Kuro and Waiston.

"Why are you on the bad guy's side!?" Wendy asked with wind wrapping around her arms, preparing to fight if necessary.

"We could be asking the same question to you!" Kuro exclaimed; it was clear fighting wasn't the only route, but the tension in the air was too high and anything could set the flames of combat ablaze.

"That Gaius told us some stuff, and unless you want to be on the right side, you'd stop fighting for a second and listen yourself," Waiston said with a small scowl, though it didn't really matter to him. He'd fight Wendy and Cynthia anyway.

"Dhegensea told us that Gaius would try to trick us onto his side…I guess even with the warning you were still fooled…" Cynthia commented.

"I wonder how that happened…" Carla muttered.

"What warning…?" Kuro tilted his head curiously. "We didn't…"

"Don't listen to them, Kuro," Waiston grinned. "They're just trying to mess with you." As soon as he said that, he turned to the two girls and opened his mouth, unleashing the Frozen Dragon's Roar, a funnel of sharp ice chucks now racing towards Cynthia and Wendy.

"W-Wait!" Wendy exclaimed before leaping to the side, not quite prepared to fight.

"No use, Wendy, they're already attacking!" Cynthia responded before throwing her head forward, unleashing her Omega Fire Dragon's Roar towards the Eclipse Pair.

"Nice try, kid!" Waiston stepped on the ground, creating a large glacier that formed in front of him, protecting Kuro and himself from Cynthia's roar.

Kuro then hopped on top of the glacier with his fist in his palm, a red magic seal appearing before him. "Fire Make: Spears!" From the seal, multiple spears of fire shot out towards Cynthia and Wendy, each one threatening to impale the two girls with their high speeds.

"Sky Dragon's…ROAR!" Wendy inhaled briefly before opening her mouth, expelling a powerful tornado that was strong enough to not only blow Kuro and Waiston away, but extinguish the incoming spears as well. "Ah…" No time to relax, as a red magic seal appeared under the two girls even as Kuro was out of sight. "Ah!"

"Watch out!" Cynthia shoved Wendy out of harm's way just as the flames erupted. These flames were powerful and did cause burn marks to appear on her skin,but Cynthia ingested the flames before they ended up posing too much of a problem. "Ew…tasted a little sour…"

.

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Castle Foyer: Gajeel vs. Leon.

Gajeel, Levy, and Pantherlily made their way inside Gaius' castle from a side entrance Gajeel made with his roar. Unfortunately, the carefree Leon Shi had been anticipating someone to arrive, though he wasn't sure from where. As soon as Gajeel made the hole, Leon leapt forward with an acid covered fist, aiming to slam it into Gajeel's chest, but the iron slayer blocked the hit with ease…but the acid burns were something else. "Tch…you two stay back!" Gajeel ordered while lunging forward, allowing his arm to morph into an iron pole. "Iron Dragon's Club!"

"I really don't want to fight…" Leon spoke while leaping into the air, entering his Acid Drive. He landed on Gajeel's extended arm, quickly darting along it to close the distance between them; Leon then swung his acid coated foot at the back of Gajeel's head, sending the opposition staggering before hitting the floor. "But it seems you won't listen, so I have no choice."

"Gajeel!" Levy exclaimed in worry.

"He'll be fine…" Lily reassured Levy with a nod.

"Agh…" His arm was in pain from the acid burns, along with the back of his head. Even so, Gajeel stood up, allowing his iron scales to form on his body, giving Leon a smirk. "Gihehe…you're the one Salamander fought a while ago, eh? If that's the case, I shouldn't have much of a problem with ya." Gajeel slammed his fist into the ground, allowing it to morph into an iron pole once again, only this time. "Iron Dragon's Lance: Demon Logs!" A green magic seal appeared under the floor, causing multiple iron lances to violently shoot up from the ground, catching Leon off guard.

"Guh!?" Leon grunted, feeling some of the iron lances pierce through him, though most of them corroded into nothing due to the acidic aura around his being. "Wow, that was impressive…" Leon shook off the damage as best he could before inhaling. "Acid Dragon's…WAVE!" Opening his mouth, an enormous wave of acid flew out, corroding everything in its path as it raced towards Gajeel.

"Shit…!" Gajeel knew this was going to be unavoidable for the most part, but he did have an idea in mind. Pulling his arm from the ground, now allowing it to take the shape of a rotating blade, the iron slayer pulled his arm back. "Iron Dragon's Sword!" With an overhead slash, Gajeel attempted to slash through the acidic wave, growling slightly in pain from the acid eating away at his iron scales.

.

.

Juvia and Gray were standing back to back, surrounded by a few of Gaius' men in their human forms. The hallway was large so it opted for more movement than the standard narrow pathway, but that didn't mean they had much room to maneuver with the numbers against them. "At least we didn't get one of those Eclipse idiots…" Gray muttered.

"We shouldn't be wasting time with them…" Juvia frowned while glancing at the soldiers surrounding them. "Natsu-san and Love Rival should've been back by now; hopefully nothing happened to them…"

"They'll be fine," Gray reassured before sliding into his Ice Make stance. "For now, let's focus on breaking through. Ice Make: Freeze Lancer!" Throwing his arms forward, the ice maker released multiple spears of ice that struck multiple soldiers, only it managed to force them into a stagger instead of flying back. "Bulky bastards…"

"Water Slicer!" A sea blue seal appeared before Juvia after she swiped her hand, sending multiple scythes of water towards the soldiers, only to get the same result. "Ah..!? It had no effect…!?"

"These are dragons, humans…" A tall female with purple hair stepped forward, clad in a rather revealing robe which showed her hips and almost revealed her large bosom. Her eyes were just as purple as her hair, and she grinned towards Juvia and Gray. "Unless you've the power to kill dragons outright, you're just gonna scratch them…" The soldiers saluted to the female before lining up against the walls. "Venoma, serving under our next king, Gaius…"

"You're the one who poisoned the water!" Juvia snarled, hand clenching into a tight fist.

"Oh, yes, that water supply…" Venoma giggled before waving a dismissive hand. "Those subjects will be dead within a few hours…"

"You…" Juvia couldn't handle it and lunged forward, claws of water appearing on her hands. "Water Claw!" Once close, Juvia furiously slashed at Venoma, aiming to cut her down right there.

"Sigh…" Venoma shook her head, swaying her body left and right to avoid Juvia's attack. She then brought up one hand, covered in a purple poisonous aura and backhanded Juvia's shoulder, causing Juvia to fly back and hit the ground.

"Juvia!" Gray rushed over to Juvia to see if she was alright. The poison corroded some of Juvia's coat and her shoulder was now slightly purple from Venoma's poison. "..!"

"That was only a harmless little taste of my poison…" Venoma blew her hand, giving a sly grin. "But I can do this with something infected with my poison…" Snapping her fingers, Juvia's shoulder lit up before exploding violently; the poison within was gone but it was the cause of the explosion.

"AAAAAHHHHH!" Juvia screamed in pain; it felt as though her shoulder was torn apart. Not even Water Body could save her since it was already within her.

"You bastard!" Gray shouted while standing up, placing his fist in his palm. "I'll show you what happens when you mess with my comrades. Ice Make: Devil's Lance!" Now infusing his Devil Slaying into his Ice Make for a more powerful effect, Gray arms were thrown forward to release frozen lances in Venoma's direction.

"Human, please…" Venoma turned and began walking away, allowing one of her soldiers to take the blow. "I have more pressing matters to deal with…"

As Venoma began walking away, Juvia slowly brought herself to her feet, left arm dangling like the useless limb it now was. "Juvia…won't let you walk away…!" Even as she said that, the soldiers began surrounding Gray and Juvia once again.

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.

"Ah…" Amidst all the fighting, Mii was sneaking around the castle in attempt to get to the throne room. The fighting didn't concern her and she had more pressing matters to attend to. Unfortunately for her, she had to hide behind a pillar in the room leading to the throne room, for Mirajane, Elfman, and Lisanna were standing before Sidney Castle, White Eclipse's ace. "Shit…how did they move in so quickly? They're good…"

Mirajane stepped forward with a small frown on her lips. "Sidney, we don't have to fight."

"We don't." Sidney admitted, but his short reply meant that there was more to it than that. "You're on the wrong side."

"That's impossible…" Lisanna remarked.

"A Man of a dragon wouldn't lie to us!" Elfman exclaimed.

"That's where you're wrong," Sidney responded. "Gaius is in the right. We were all being fooled by Dhegensea from the very beginning."

"Enough…" Mira put her arm out, preventing Elfman or Lisanna from stepping forward. "Ena believes in her father…he has to reason to lie to her or us. She also has faith that we're working together to stop this war, not fight each other in it." Soon, a magic seal appeared above Mira and she entered her Satan Soul takeover.

"Do you truly intend to fight?" Sidney questioned, meaning he wasn't going to hold back if Mirajane wanted to do this.

"Let us pass." Mirajane demanded, but Sidney's silent stare told Mira he wasn't going to. "Very well…I suppose this will make things slightly even after what you did to Natsu a while ago…" With that, Mirajane lunged forward, aiming a punch towards Sidney's chest, which was easily blocked; she retreated for a mere second before attempting a high kick to Sidney's head, which was also blocked with ease.

"The Eclipse punishment? I'd forgotten…" Sidney responded as though it wasn't even that important.

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.

"Switch targets!" Natsu yelled at Lucy before gunning for Laura, his speed catching the woman off guard. "Iron Fist!" Slam! Natsu's fiery fist hit Laura in the gut, causing her to double over; "And Fire Dragon's Claw!" Swinging his foot in a roundhouse motion, slamming it right into Laura's temple, causing her to tumble over along the rocky ground.

"Agh…" Laura groaned, shaking her head gently while trying to recover from Natsu's attack. "Pink haired little…" Before she could finish, she glanced in Natsu's direction only to see the Salamander threw his hand forward, unleashing a massive beam of heat and flame in her direction. "Ah..!" The blonde crossed her arms, letting out a minor shriek of pain as the flames consumed her.

"If it's a battle of strength he wants…" Lucy grinned while reaching for a key, knowing just who to summon. "Gate of the Golden Bull, I open thee! Taurus!" With that call and a bell chime, the powerful axe wielding Taurus appeared, letting out a loud moo!

"You think a little cow is strong enough to contend with me?" The idea almost made Lex chuckle; he then dashed forward with his axe-blade raised high, preparing to bring it down on Taurus, but Taurus countered with his own axe, the two entering a deadlock, sparks flying from the collision of the weapons. "What…!?"

"Taurus has the most strength out of all the other spirits…" Lucy cleared Lex's confusion with a wide grin.

"Now, how about you get MOOOOOOOOOving!" Taurus shouted while pushing Lex back, causing the bulky male to stagger. "MOOOO!" Taurus brought his axe down to the ground, sending a shockwave that damaged Lex and knocked him down to his feet.

"Nice job, Taurus!" Lucy grinned before leaping forward, now taking her turn in the action and swung her leg at Lex's face, Star Dress: Taurus amplifying her physical strength tenfold, so it was more than enough to send Lex flying back. "The two of us can handle him!"

"Ugh…" Laura shook her head again while recovering from Natsu's wave of fire. Before she knew it, he was on her once again. "..!"

"Secret Art! Crimson Lotus: Fire Dragon's Fist!" One punch after the other, Natsu began unleashing rapid high powered fiery blows all aimed for various spots on Laura's body, the attack coming in so fast she had no time to react. Natsu finished off his brutal combo with a fierce uppercut with so much strength it sent Laura flying into the rocky wall.

"Together!" Lucy exclaimed while rearing her fist back along with Taurus. The two together landed a powerful unison punch on Lex with such strength that it sent him flying into the same wall Laura slammed into, causing his weight to crush Laura as a result. "Natsu!"

"Finish them!" Happy yelled from the sidelines.

"On it!" Natsu jumped forward with two large flames appearing within his hands; he held his hands up over his head, creating a much larger blaze than the Dazzling one he used prior. "Fire Dragon's Brilliant Flame!" Throwing his hands forward, launching the enormous sphere of flame towards the pair, watching as it crashed directly onto the white robed duo, causing a massive explosion that shook the underground cavern. Afterwards, Natsu landed with a satisfied grin. "Looks like they weren't so tough after all."

"We did it!" Lucy grinned before high fiving Natsu, completely forgetting that they weren't on the best of terms when they started this fight.

"I wouldn't be so sure…" Laura remarked as the dust cleared. Her robed was charred and her body was covered in bruises and burn marks, but the scary part was she was looking like nothing happened. "Now that we've got an idea of what you can do…Lex, please…power up."

"HAAAAAAAAAAAA!" Lex screamed and his red aura from before becoming more prominent than last time; the smoke instantly cleared and the force of Lex's aura caused Natsu and Lucy to slide back from the sheer strength. He then rushed towards Lucy and Taurus with his axe-blade at the ready, swinging it at the pair quickly.

"Lucy-san, watch out!" Taurus instantly put himself in harm's way to protect Lucy. Lex's strength was so much Taurus was defeated in one shot, causing him to return to the Spirit World.

"Taurus, no!" Lucy cried, though her time to mourn was limited as Lex quickly kicked her back, his strength causing her to literally fly across the ground before landing roughly on her stomach.

"Lucy!" Natsu prepared to assist Lucy, but Lex grabbed the back of his scarf and threw him into the ground with such force he bounced up a little; Lex then swung the blunt side of his blade up at Natsu's chest, sending the Salamander soaring until he hit the ceiling of the cave. "Gah!" Scowling, Natsu quickly recovered an aimed to come down with an Iron Fist, which landed…but it had no effect on Lex this time. "W-What…my punch!?"

"DIE!" Lex then shifted his body, using his blade to slam Natsu into the ground, causing an explosion on impact.

"NATSU!" Happy yelled in worry, attempting to run over to his partner's side, but Lex's aura was so powerful Happy couldn't even get close. "W-What are you…!?"

"Ugh…" Lucy shook her head, looking over to see Natsu's predicament. "Natsu…hold on…"

"You should be worried about yourself, sweet heart…" Laura snapped her fingers, causing multiple chains of lightning to appear around Lucy. Before Lucy could even move these chains wrapped around her and lifted her into the air, sending powerful volts through her system. "Wanna scream for me!?" And Lucy did just that, the pain of the constricting lightning causing her to let out an agonized scream of pain while she struggled to free herself, but to no avail.

"LUCY!" Natsu attempted to push himself up and help Lucy, but Lex's foot was placed firmly on his back and there was no way he was getting up with such a heavy weight on him. "GAH!? LET ME GO YOU BASTARD!"

"No." Lex responded while looking at Laura slowly draining the life out of Lucy. "You will lie here and watch your comrade die."

"NO!" Happy flew forward, attempting to break Laura's concentration by running into her, but she wasn't having it. Her hands were still free so she threw some lightning daggers at Happy to keep him at bay, and it worked. One hit his wing and sent a powerful shock through his system, causing him to fall onto the ground with a dazed look.

"Oh, her screams are wonderful…" Laura practically shivered from Lucy's screaming, which gradually began to die down with each passing second until her head hung over, hair creating a shade over her eyes. She stopped moving completely. "Oh…she's done already…?" Laura sighed and snapped her fingers once again, causing her to drop Lucy onto the ground, lifeless. "Such a disappointment…those were the best screams I've heard in a while…"

"L-Lucy…" Natsu's eyes widened as Lucy didn't respond; she didn't move, she didn't breathe…

"N-no…" Happy's eyes began to water.

It all looked like it was over…

Thumpthump.

Lucy's eyes slowly opened, still retaining the lifeless look. A pulse occurred within her body, and her eyes briefly shone a cerise shade. A black and red aura briefly surrounded her body before she began to lift herself up, almost as if nothing even happened. There was a voice in her head, but it was hard to make out.

"W-What the hell!?" Laura's eyes widened as Lucy stood up. "She's still alive!?"

"L-Lucy…?" Happy called out, but it seemed as though she didn't hear her…or anything for that matter.

"Is that Lucy…" Natsu questioned internally. It didn't seem like it…

"Retribution…" Lucy spoke in a monotonous tone towards both Lex and Laura.

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Next Time: Purification


	19. Chapter 18: Purification

"L-Lucy…?" Happy called out to Lucy, who had a blackish-red aura surrounding her person. It was different than anything he'd ever seen coming from her, and considering that she was almost killed, needless to say he was worried about her.

"W-What the hell is up with her…" Laura said while leaning back slightly, a little caught off guard by Lucy's aura. "I didn't get any report about this…"

"It's probably just an oversight…" Lex reassured. Meanwhile, Natsu kept silent. To him, that wasn't Lucy.

"Finish her then!" Laura demanded.

"Hmph…" Lex grunted before throwing his weapon into the air, raising one fist while letting out a battle cry; the red headed male slammed his fist into the ground, his sheer power causing a stalagmite to suddenly pop up from Lucy's location.

"…" Lucy remained silent, only taking a graceful leap to the side to avoid Lex's attack. Within the next second, she closed the distance between them with her hand balled into a tight fist. In one fluid motion, she sent her fist towards Lex's temple, her strength overpowering his aura and sent him tumbling across the rocky ground roughly.

"Lex?!" Laura's eyes widened from Lucy's sudden boost in strength.

"You're next." Lucy muttered before closing the distance between herself and Laura, a high kick aimed for the back of her head sending her rolling forward until she hit the ground.

"Agh!" Laura landed on her side, panting heavily. Just one kick was enough to cause her actual damage compared to when Natsu and Lucy together couldn't do that much. "This bitch…I'll show you!" Thrusting her hand forward, the blonde released a thin, but potent beam of lightning that was aimed towards Lucy's chest, looking to pierce right through her heart. Lucy threw her hand forward, gathering what appeared to be dark magic around her palm before releasing it into a beam to clash with Laura's causing an explosion. "I don't believe this…she's making a fool out of me…" Laura growled before creating more lightning daggers, hurling a plethora of them towards Lucy to overwhelm her with the numbers.

"Hmph…" Lucy drew her whip once again and in one fluid motion, smacked all of the lightning daggers out of the air; she then wrapped it around Laura's neck, who desperately attempted to pry it off as Lucy began to constrict her throat.

"L-Lucy wait!" Natsu called out, but it appeared that she didn't hear him at all.

"RAAAH!" Lex exclaimed while shoulder tackling Lucy, who forgot all about him. The force of his tackle was enough for Lucy to fly back and bounce off the wall with a noticeable imprint left on the stone wall. "I won't be made a fool of by some weakling…!"

Lucy shook her head, standing up as a dark gold aura began to surround her body. She said nothing, but area began to darken, stars appearing in the area along with some planets. This was not Urano Meteria, however. The stars were shone with darkness and malevolence. "Fall and rejoin the stars…Purification!" Suddenly, all of the stars and planets exploded at once in radiant darkness, consuming both Lex and Laura, though Natsu and Happy remained unharmed. When the darkness faded, Lex and Laura were seen on a knee while Lucy completely collapsed over, the aura around her body fading.

"Whoa…" Happy's eyes widened, but he was worried because Lex and Laura didn't look like they were down even after all of that.

"….Ha…well…" Laura stood up, dusting her hands off. "That was something else…maybe those reports weren't wrong at all. Come on Lex, we're done here." With that, the two vanished from sight.

"Lucy, are you okay…?!" Natsu rushed over to Lucy, who just groaned.

"W-Whoa…what happened…?" Lucy blinked slowly, looking up at Natsu with her brown eyes.

"You don't remember?!" Happy flailed. "You drove off those two robed people with a really cool attack and…!"

Natsu shushed Happy, assisting Lucy to her feet. "We drove them off. We wasted too much time here, we have to go help the others, I can tell they've started fighting without us!"

"O-Oh…right…" Lucy nodded slowly, pointing over to a certain tunnel while rubbing her head. "I…I don't know why…but I feel like we should be going that way."

.

.

"Finish them off, dearies…" Venoma waved her hand to her soldiers surrounding Gray and the injured Juvia while sauntering away.

"Tch…" Gray was in a tough spot. He couldn't fight and keep Juvia safe at the same time, especially since she was determined to stop Venoma more than anyone else was. "Juvia, stay by me."

"B-But…Gray-sama…" Juvia objected, turning only to see a soldier lunging at her. "Ah…!"

"Great Cross Slash!" That voice came from none other than Aira Aeolus, who slashed through the soldier attempting to cut through Juvia. She brought it down but didn't take it out, causing her expression to harden a little bit. "It's still moving…"

"Damn…!" Luke slid to a halt just outside the circle of soldiers, gritting his teeth as he could barely see Venoma walking off. "Was that Venoma?!"

"Yeah, why? Wait, what the hell are you doing fighting against these guys, I thought you were on their side!?" Gray questioned while using his Ice Make: Saucer, to keep some soldiers at bay.

"Long story short…" Luke began while keeping his guard up. "Gaius didn't trick any of us…he's also got Nasir and we can't let him die…he seems to believe we're truly against Dhegensea, especially after feeding us that false information…half of us are pretending to fight, and knowing them they're really into it." As he spoke a soldier attempted to slash him in half, but he jumped back and aimed a lightning coated roundhouse to their cheek, sending them spiraling into others and knocking them away. "Whew…we need to get that poison sample from that woman so we can get a cure for the others on the other side…!"

"White Eclipse is…buying time…" Juvia finally got it, that's why they were fighting against them. Well, some of them anyway. "But…Juvia needs to get to Venoma, I promised…"

"Don't worry about it…" Aira said with a soft smile. "We've got two of our best after her right now…" Her eyes trailed towards the shadows, nodding slowly. "For now, we have to clean up this mess! I'll explain the rest after!"

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Wendy and Cynthia were panting softly, along with Kuro and Waiston. Their two on two was reaching a high point quickly. Wendy stepped forward, leaping into the air while raising her arms above her head, looking to finish them both off in one fell swoop. "Sky Dragon's…Wing Attack!" Throwing her arms down, a strong current of wind raced towards the Eclipse duo.

"…" Waiston stepped forward, an oddly determined expression on his face. The wind landed directly on his person, but soon after there was a strong inhalation sound that filled the area.

"W-Wait a second!?" Cynthia was all too familiar with that noise.

"Is he…?!" Wendy's eyes widened in shock.

"Waiston! Finally!" Kuro grinned.

The wind died down, all entering Waiston's mouth. His hair turned a bright blue shade and cold winds began whirling around his body, all with a wicked grin on his lips. "Frozen Sky…"

"He ate her magic…" Carla's jaw dropped.

"Great…" Cynthia groaned, knowing things were just going to get tougher from here on out. …And they did, just not in the way she expected. After Waiston gained Frozen Sky, several soldiers dropped from the sky, surrounding the four almost immediately. "H-Hey…!?"

"What the?!" Waiston turned, growling at the soldiers. "What's the big idea!? We're on your side!"

"These soldiers…" Carla recognized their attire. They were the same ones they encountered in the sky when they were on the airship…that meant…

"Now we have to go through them, too…!? What's going on…" Wendy questioned.

"Well, guess they found us out early…" Waiston didn't seem to notice, but he was sure ready to try out Frozen Sky with Kuro by his side. With an inhale, the air around him turned cold and was sucked into a small twister. "Roar…of the Frozen Sky Dragon!" Throwing his head forward, a massive whirlwind blizzard escaped his mouth, covering a large radius as it raced towards the soldiers. Some of them evaded while the others were swept away with ease.

"Whoa…" Cynthia's jaw dropped in shock before she snapped out of it, grabbing Wendy by her wrist. "Come on, let's get out of here and go meet up with the others…"

"Right…" Wendy nodded, following along Cynthia into the castle.

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"What is the meaning of this…?" Erza questioned Reve on the castle walls while pointing her blade towards him.

Of course, Reve wasn't threatened. Especially after he just defeated her not too long ago, why should he feel threatened? Instead, the gunslinger let out a laugh at Erza's question, giving a shrug after. "You wouldn't understand, nor believe me if I told you. In fact, I asked so politely for you to come in quietly, but you Fairies are quick to…jump the gun."

"Now isn't the time for your jokes, Reve," Erza glared towards the gunslinger. "Tell me what's going on."

Reve had a grin on his lips; the kind that meant you were hiding a secret not many other people knew and you wanted to brag about it. He shrugged again, shaking his head. "Maybe if you said please, and admitted I'm the better mage…I'll spill the beans…"

"You…" Erza's grip tightened on the hilt of her sword. She glared at Reve in utter disdain, wanting to cut him down right then and there. She heard something approaching behind her and in that instant she turned and cut down a few soldiers attempting to attack her from behind. "…You!" Erza turned to Reve, prepared to lunge at him for thinking such a distraction would work on her…only to see that Reve was shooting down a few soldiers himself, wearing a look of disappointment.

"Tch…I guess time's a little shorter than I thought…" Reve muttered before turning to Erza. "Guess your humble statement will have to wait a little while."

"I wasn't planning on telling you anything." Erza then hopped down the wall and into the castle, making a quick beeline for the throne room and left Reve all by himself. If she were going to find out anything, going to the source of all the trouble would dispel any remaining confusion. Makarov had already gone on ahead during the battles so it was no surprise if he was there already, now it was just time to back him up…

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Venoma casually walked down a hallway towards the throne room with a hand on her hip, giggling slightly at how well things were going. "It's only a matter of time until it takes effect…and then we'll really be ready."

Takeru emerged from the shadows, shadow katana in hand. He lunged forward from the wall, attempting a clean slice for Venoma's head. How dare he underestimate a dragon even slightly; the woman leaned her head to the side, causing a whiff. Takeru landed with a slight growl. "You're fast for someone who doesn't notice their surroundings."

"Oh?" Venoma tilted her head. "Now why would a White Eclipse member be after my head? I thought we worked things out nicely with our sharing of information and Nasir being held captive? Your fight is over there."

"That's not going to purify the water, is it?" Takeru questioned as a dark aura surrounded his being, raven hair standing up to spike: Shadow Drive.

"Oooooh, you humans aren't as stupid as you let on to be…" Venoma giggled. "After we win this war, I had full intentions of removing my poison from the water." Even though she was a little snarky, there was no hint of a lie laced in her tone.

"Well…" Takeru began. "I think it'll just be easier to drag your half dead body back and make you do it instead…"

"You and what army, little boy?" Venoma spoke while leaning forward condescendingly.

From the shadows above in the ceiling, Selene dropped down with her arm morphed into a diamond sword. In one swift motion, she brought it down on Venoma's back, cutting deep into the female. "Diamond Dragon's…" Not finished yet, she took a small leap back while inhaling, small diamond shards forming in a vortex around her mouth. "ROAR!" Throwing her head forward, a large vortex of small, but sharp diamonds shot out, aiming to consume the poisonous female.

"Agh…" Venoma cringed from the blow to her back, growling at the fact she'd been hit; turning around to put up a wall of poison that blocked Selene's roar easily.

"Heh…" Takeru prepared to lunge forward and finish off the female while she was distracted, but another figure appeared and attempted to…BITE him. "SHIT!" Takeru immediately leapt back, his exclamation catching Venoma's attention. "You can't just bite people like that!"

The one that bit Takeru was Drake; the one Dhegensea warned both teams about. He was a tall male with long dirty blond hair that reached his shoulders and had yellow eyes; he wore a soldier's uniform similar to the one that Nasir's troops wore. "Darn…I was so close to having a taste of shadow dragon…" Drake said with a hungry grin, licking his lips while staring at Takeru.

"This isn't good…" Selene took a step back, allowing diamond scales to form along her body to protect herself from Drake's infectious bite. "We can't let him bite us, Tak!"

"I remember!" Takeru said while taking a step back himself. He could probably slip past Drake with his Shadow Drive, and finish off the wounded Venoma, but taking his eyes off Drake for a second could spell Dragonization… "Damn, this is a tight spot…"

"If you wanna run, that's okay…" Drake spoke with a cocky grin, taking a step forward while licking his lips once more. "I love it when my pray runs…I enjoy the thrill of the chase!" He then lunged towards Takeru with terrifying speed, tackling the male down to the ground and began snapping at him, attempting to bite down on the dragon slayer.

"Gah!" Takeru grunted while using his physical might to keep Drake at bay. "Hey! Get off me you freak! I ain't into that!"

"Tak!" Selene cried out in worry, but the wounded Venoma stepped in front of her. "Ah…"

"Where do you think you're going, little girl?"

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While Mirajane and Sidney continued their brawl, Mii used this time to slip past Elfman and Lisanna. Though she couldn't help but glance back at the battle occurring. Mirajane was in her Halpas Takeover, using her speed and power to challenge Sidney to close quarters combat. Several swings and several misses, causing Mirajane to become slightly annoyed. She then flew back to gather some space, cupping her hands together as a dark mass formed within her palms. "Evil Explosion." She uttered the name of the attack while throwing her hands forward, unleashing a potent beam of Dark Magic that raced towards Sidney. Sidney actually found it prudent to cross his arms, preparing to take the full power of the Evil Explosion. The beam crashed against Sidney's arms, resulting in a massive explosion that blew everyone away except Mirajane. Sidney's arms had some bruises but otherwise he was fine. Mirajane then used the smoke as cover to appear on Sidney's left, swinging a hard kick aimed for his temple that landed, causing Sidney to slide back a few feet.

"Is she trying to kill us!?" Mii muttered while recovering from the blowback of the Evil Explosion.

"She got him! That's MAN!" Elfman exclaimed.

"Go, Mira-nee…!" Lisanna cheered.

Sidney shook his head slightly, brushing off Mirajane's attack since he's had worse. He then extended a palm forward, unleashing a plethora of tombstones at a rapid rate. Mirajane had little time to dodge and was quickly pinned down by the massive amount of tombstones slamming against her frontage. "…"

"Tch…Agh…" Mira grunted while keeping her arms crossed, trying to find a way to break through, but it didn't look like Sidney was giving her that chance…

"Finally…" Mii rolled her eyes and quickly opened the doors to the throne room, stepping inside quickly.

.

"Ah ha!" Mii exclaimed once stepping into the throne room, pointing at Nasir and Gaius. Her attention then shifted to Makarov, who was down on a knee, desperately gasping for air. "Makarov…? The hell is going on in here?!"

"The old man thought he could have a nice little chat with us…so I told him to catch his breath after coming all the way here." Which really meant he nearly suffocated Makarov with his advanced use of wind magic. Nasir chuckled while snapping his fingers, causing a harsh wind current to blow throughout the room, primarily used to keep Mii in place. "But I'm glad you're here, Mii. We've been waiting for you."

"Mii…get out of here…" Makarov spoke in a tone that meant he learned something bad.

"O-Oi…? Why would I do that…?" Mii questioned while using her hands to shield her eyes from the harsh wind. "I can't even if I wanted to; this bastard isn't letting me move…!"

"We can't let you go now," Gaius said while rising from his throne, holding one half of the Scared Gem in his grasp, while Nasir held the other half. "Nasir went through the trouble of coming all the way here to deliver this to me…it's about time we put it to use."

"The Gem…!?" Mii's eyes widened.

"Only a special power can help activate the power of this gem…" Gaius and Nasir together fixed the Gem, combining the two halves into one radiant green sphere. Gaius then held the Gem in Mii's direction, causing a radiant green light to shoot out and strike her, lighting up her body in a similar glow. "The Chosen! Your power will mark the beginning of the end!"

"Wh-wha…?!" Mii stared at her body, unable to move. Nasir and Gaius looked at her strangely, the process was allegedly incredibly painful but Mii withstood it just fine? It didn't matter, for everything was going accordingly. The entire island began to shake violently, causing everyone to fall on their feet or lose their balance in some way. "H-Hey…!? What's going on…!?"

.

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"T-This shaking…?! Could it be?!" Kurthnaga questioned while hanging onto something to prevent from falling over.

"No…" Ena gasped.

"…" Dhegensea's head dropped. He knew exactly what was happening.

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.

The Isle of the Dragons shook violently. It lasted for a few moments before it steadily began to drop, falling towards the ocean below. Once it came in contact with the water, a massive tremor shook everything for miles.

"We've landed." Gaius spoke with a large grin while Mii collapsed to her knees, feeling the strain such a process put on her body regardless. "The Isle of the Dragons has landed! The Dragons will soon reign…"

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Next Time: The Sky Dragon's Rage!


	20. Chapter 19: The Sky Dragon's Rage!

"O-Oi…!? What the hell is happening!?" Gray shouted during the intense shaking. "How is an island having an earthquake!?"

"I don't think that's an earthquake…" Aira muttered while stumbling to keep her balance.

"Shit…don't tell me…" Gray grit his teeth before turning to Aira and Luke. "Keep Juvia out of trouble!" And with that he hurried off, leaving Aira and Luke with Juvia and the last few remaining soldiers.

"Hey, wait a second!" Luke shouted as Gray had the audacity to leave them. "Don't leave us with your clingy girlfriend!"

"Gray-sama!" Juvia reached out for him, only for her shoulder to act up. "Ngh…"

"You need to rest…" Aira said with a firm nod. "Don't worry…Luke and I can handle this."

"But…" Juvia began to protest, but found it useless. For now, she just nodded in agreement.

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"W-What…the hell…" Mii said while panting heavily, unable to believe what just occurred. "What did you do to me…?"

"Ah…We did not a thing to you, my dear…" Nasir said with a chuckle. "We simply used your power to activate the Scared Gem, which brought this lovely little island back to the surface. Once we finish things here, our dragons can go invade Ishgar, and then everything after will fall into place."

"How are you going to get across the ocean when you can't fly, smarty?" Mii questioned.

"You seem to forget who I am…" Nasir said while waving his arms forward, creating a powerful gust of wind that blew Mii into the wall. "I control the skies. I am a Sky Dragon, after all. With my wind, I can create a current for our dragons to glide across the ocean, it'll make it seem like we're flying. Both those are just the little details…it won't matter in the end."

"All the pieces are almost in place, it's only a matter of time until everything happens…" Gaius grinned while sitting on his throne once again.

.

.

"Ha?!" Drake stopped attempting to chomp Takeru once the island fell into the ocean. "Well, how about that…guess The Chosen isn't made up after all…"

"Get off me!" Takeru used this distraction to land a Shadow Dragon's Claw onto the dragon; causing Drake to stand and stagger back with some blood dripping from his now cut cheek. "Serena, let's go!"

"R-Right!" With that, Takeru and Selene dipped into the shadows to escape the precarious situation.

"They escaped…" Venoma winced, rubbing her back. "Crafty humans if I do say so myself…never intending to side with us, how cute. But it doesn't matter now; it's far too late to stop us…"

.

.

"Hm…" The dragon Laxus and the Raijinshu were fighting suddenly halted the fight, reverting to his human form. He grinned towards the humans before waving a nonchalant hand. "I guess my time is up. That's a shame; I was really looking forward to finish you off…"

"What the hell happened?" Laxus questioned while breathing somewhat heavily. Squaring off with a dragon was not easy work, even for someone of his strength.

"The island's in the ocean, just off the coast of some unfortunate country. That'll be the first one the dragons invade once we finish off things here." The dragon responded with a widening grin. "The Dragon Raid will begin soon…"

"You must be foolish if you think we won't stop you before then…" Freed said with his sword at the ready.

"You won't have the chance. You've already walked right into our trap! In fact…things are going to heat up a little bit once Drake bites that one dragon slayer…"

"Who's he trying to bite…?" Evergreen's eyes narrowed.

"It wouldn't make any sense to bite a first or third generation dragon slayer…" The dragon spoke with a sly smile. "And as far as I know, the only other second generation dragon slayer is standing right in front of me…so who does that leave, I wonder…?"

"….Bastard!" Laxus' eyes widened, he, along with the Raijinshu, knew exactly who this dragon was talking about.

.

.

With the shaking of the castle being enough to throw Sidney off his focus and aim, it allowed Mirajane some reprieve to retreat, her body covered in bruises after the assault of tombstones. She panted heavily, knees quivering as she forced herself to stand up. "Ah…Ha…."

"Oi, Mira, are you okay…!?" Cana rushed onto the scene, halting once spotting Sidney. "Ah, that bastard again."

"Sidney, we have a problem!" Zalen and Heather hurried towards the scene of the battle, both panting a little heavily. "The island…it's landed in the ocean!" Zalen shouted between breaths.

"Already…?" Sidney questioned before shaking his head. "I suppose I wasted too much time dealing with her. No matter, we've more important issues to attend to now. Gaius is still in his throne room." Sidney turned to step forward, but halted. Gajeel and Leon crashed through the nearby wall, both still fighting each other, but now it was nothing more than a comical cloud of smoke. "…"

"Gajeel!" Levy exclaimed worriedly while rushing from the hole the two created with Lily by her side.

"Enough." Sidney picked up Gajeel and Leon and tossed them to opposite sides of the room.

"Hey, we were in the middle of something, asshole!" Gajeel exclaimed in irritation.

"I was winning…" Leon huffed childishly.

"LIKE HELL!" Gajeel shouted back with a comical tick mark of irritation appearing on his forehead.

"What's going on!?" Lisanna yelled.

"Well..." Cygnus began while rubbing the back of his head.

"Not a lot of time to explain…" Now Jaxon was on the scene, looking a little beat up from dealing with some soldiers. "I just think we better hurry and finish what we came here to do; otherwise the forecast isn't going to look that great…"

"Now, now…" Venoma waltzed into the room with a wide grin on her lips, acting as though she wasn't injured. "Where's the fun? Stay and chat a while, you are our honored guests, after all…"

"She's the one who poisoned the water…" Heather scowled. "I can tell, her scent is utterly disgusting…"

"Oh, now that's just rude…" Venoma actually felt offended by Heather's remark. "I'll have to teach you a little respect…"

.

.

"I think we're getting closer to the throne room…" Cynthia said while looking around the hallway. "That strange power from earlier left a strong presence and it's getting more potent…"

"Stay on your guard, girls…" Carla warned. "Anything can happen at this point…"

"Mhm…" Wendy nodded, keeping a careful eye on their surroundings.

What they weren't looking at, though, was the ceiling, where Drake lay in wait. Once his sights were set on his target, he lunged down, maw open…and he bit right down on Cynthia's shoulder, causing her to let out a scream of pain. "AAAH!"

"Cynthia!" Wendy turned immediately, eyes widening at Drake.

From the shadows, Takeru emerged again, kicking Drake in the face to get him off Cynthia who collapsed, while Selene appeared for support, creating a diamond wall between them and Drake. "Wendy, heal her NOW."

"R-Right…!" Wendy nodded, wasting no time in focusing her healing magic onto Cynthia's shoulder. "Please be okay…was that Drake…?"

"Yeah…" Selene nodded, now looking over at Cynthia in worry. "He wasn't on her for more than a few seconds, so she should be okay…" She said that, but Cynthia's face paled and her cheeks were red. Her breathing was heavy and it looked like she passed out.

"The bite marks closed…" Wendy said with a silent gulp.

"She's out cold…the shock must have been what got her…" Carla looked over Cynthia, letting out a sigh of relieve. Any longer and Dragonization would've occurred with her on the spot.

"Hey, you know you can't hide back there forever, right?" Drake said from the other side of the diamond wall. "She tasted pretty good, I might want another taste."

"We'll stay here." Selene nodded. "The throne room should be up ahead…if you made your way through you could probably make it…"

"B-But Cynthia…" Wendy began, but she felt Carla tug at her skirt, meaning they should go. "Okay…"

.

.

The ceiling above the throne room collapsed, causing Gaius and Nasir to leap away from the falling debris. Erza appeared from the ceiling with her Purgatory mace at the ready; she glanced at Mii and Makarov, glaring towards Gaius, only to notice Nasir. "Nasir, what is the meaning of this?"

"Looks like our third visitor has arrived…" Gaius said while dusting his hands off. Suddenly, both sides of the walls blew open; Gray on one side and Wendy and Carla on the other, all three of them sliding towards Erza in the middle.

"We made it!" Wendy grinned.

"Oi…" Mii let out a slight sigh of relief as the cavalry arrived.

"About time, this has been going on for too long anyway…" Gray said with a smirk. "But they're still not here…" Glancing towards Nasir, he wore the same quizzical expression Erza, Wendy, and Carla bore at the sight.

"Now that we're all here…" Gaius began, but the ground beneath him started to rumble violently. "What…I thought we were done with tremors…"

Before anything else could happen, an eruption of orange flames occurred under Gaius and Nasir, consuming them both briefly. Natsu, Lucy, and Happy leapt from the hole Natsu created in the ground, landing right next to the others. "Finally, we're out of the damn cave!" Natsu grinned, though he was currently oblivious to the situation.

"About time you made it, Flame Brain!" Gray smirked.

"I'm glad to see you're alright…" Erza said with a soft smile.

"Me too…" Lucy said with a soft laugh before finally assessing the situation. "Wait…what's going on here…"

"If we're done with the interruptions…" Gaius said while dusting himself off from Natsu's flames. "Allow me to explain everything. You see, I am Gaius, and this here is Nasir, my second in command. We've secretly been working together to ensure this island belongs to me, as the ruler Dhegensea is the true evil. I'm sure you've seen the captives in his prison in the castle? Those are innocent dragons who have been Dragonized by him; he forced Drake to do it. He claims he wishes for peace, but really he just wishes to rule the humans with an iron fist!"

"You can stop right there…" Mii coughed, glaring towards Gaius. "When you just told me the opposite, you liar!"

"Tch…" Gaius then shrugged, his tricks not working. "Either way…thanks to Mii, the Scared Gem has been restored and the Isle is now in the ocean where it will create the pathway to us ruling…"

"I don't think so!" Natsu said while pounding one fist into an open palm. "We're gonna stop you."

"That's a negative…" Nasir stepped forward, and with a simple swipe of his arm, an incredibly powerful gust of wind blew everyone away, causing them to harshly hit the wall.

"Ugh…" The injured Makarov grunted once hitting the wall, groaning as he attempted to stand. "This Nasir…why would you betray your king…?"

"Dhegensea was never once my King." Nasir replied with a grin before swiping his arms again, creating another powerful hurricane meant to rip through the Fairy Tail wizards.

Erza attempted to challenge Nasir by changing into her Wind God armor, two swords in hand. With these blades, she cut through the wind with high speed and ease, closing the gap between herself and Nasir aiming to slice his chest. "But what about Ena, or Kurthnaga!? Aren't they your kin!?"

"Ha!" Nasir laughed at Erza's statement, leaning away from her slashes and retaliated with a powerful kick to her stomach imbued with wind that came with a powerful push back, sending Erza sprawling across the floor. "My Kin? Please, don't be so ridiculous! They're just offspring to that old fossil!"

"How could you…" Lucy began with a heart broken expression.

"You bastard!" Gray shouted while slamming his fist into his palm. "Ice Make: Cannon!" A large cannon of ice formed on his shoulders, resting there snugly while Gray took aim, unleashing a massive burst of ice towards Nasir.

Nasir brought up his forearm, blocking the explosive burst of ice. It stung a little but with a quick flex he was able to shatter the ice. "Wing Slash." Nasir swiped both arms down, sending a massive hurricane of wind in Gray and Lucy's direction. The hurricane tore apart Gray and Lucy and sent them crashing into the floor.

"Bastard! Don't think I'm not getting you back for what you did to Wendy!" Natsu came in from above, both arms wrapped in a wildfire of flames. "Crimson Lotus: Exploding Flame Blade!" Throwing his arms forward in a clockwise rotation, a massive sweep of flames aimed to consume Nasir. The sky dragon brought up his arms and blocked the hit, feeling his skin scorched from the heat of Natsu's flames and because it was Dragon Slayer magic.

"Sky Claw." Not missing a beat, Nasir slashed at Natsu, catching the fire dragon in the side and sent him into the ground.

"Natsu!" Happy exclaimed in worry.

"Shit…" Mii grunted, still feeling exhausted from the process Gaius put her through.

"This isn't good…" Carla began, only to glance at Wendy who had fear in her eyes. Carla recalled Wendy being defeated by Nasir in one strike, so it was no surprise for her to be feeling afraid now. "Wendy! Snap out of it…!" Carla urged.

"I…" Wendy paused, unable to shake the sensation off her. She totally froze once Nasir glanced in her direction.

"Heh…" Nasir chuckled before holding his palms up, a gray mist secreting from his hands. "Now have a little dose of my specialty. This little mist is something dragons can withstand easily…as for humans…that's a different story…"

"Wha…" Natsu started to get up, but the mist spread into the room quickly, causing him to cough. "W-What is this…?" It burned his lungs just to speak.

"I-It hurts…" Lucy put her hands around her throat as she struggled to talk, practically writhing around the floor in pain.

"I-I can't breathe…" Makarov groaned.

"This is…" Erza gripped her throat tightly, trying to find some way to soothe her burning lungs.

"Humans aren't meant to inhale this mist…it contains impurities they cannot handle. Dragons, however…this mist is refreshing…" Nasir chuckled while watching everyone struggle to breathe.

"I-If only I could…purify the air somehow…" Wendy thought, but she was quickly coming up with nothing.

"Leave them…alone…" Cynthia wandered into the throne room from one of the holes in the walls, hunched over while looking absolutely terrible.

"Cynthia…!?" Wendy exclaimed with difficulty.

"What is she doing…?" Mii questioned.

"She's not collapsing?" Gaius thought.

"Wendy…" Cynthia glanced towards Wendy with a small smile, heaving heavily. "This is your element…you can't let that dragon beat you…we have to win…so that's why…" Cynthia then began to inhale the mist that was in the room, using the special lungs a dragon slayer contained to her full advantage.

"W-wait, Cynthia stop…!" Wendy pleaded.

Cynthia didn't listen. She inhaled all of the mist, leaving nothing but pure air in the room. Of course it was a bad idea to inhale it all, as she instantly fell forward, but there was a smile on her face. "Don't worry…I'll be okay…just use the air…and roar…"

"You…" Anger crossed Nasir's expression. Before Cynthia could fully fall over, he grabbed the female by her arm and harshly slammed her into the ground; a loud cracking sound occurred as he broke Cynthia's arm with ease, which caused her to pass out; Takeru and Selene arrived on the scene shortly after, pausing to take in the sight before them.

"CYNTHIA!" The Fairy Tail mages exclaimed while they were still recovering from the mist exiting their system.

Wendy just remained silent with widened eyes. Cynthia once again risked everything to ensure they could win…and the air was clean, pure…Wendy's shocked expression quickly turned into one of determination. The air began to flow in a different direction, causing everyone's attention to turn. "You're a traitor with no heart…and you've hurt my friends and family…" As Wendy spoke, her hair and eyes turned pink, and clear crystalized scales began to appear around her wrists, ankles and shoulder blades. Dragon Force.

"You insolent child…" Nasir turned to face Wendy. "You think the air is your weapon? Your mastery of it pales in comparison to a dragon's…" Before he could finish speaking, Wendy was already in front of him with her incredible speed, slamming her fist into his face. The power caught everyone off guard as Nasir hit the wall. "…!"

"I control the air in this space."

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Next Time: To End The War!


	21. Chapter 20: To End The War

"You…" Nasir grunted after Wendy's initial attack, pulling himself from the wall with an angered expression. "How dare you defile the name sky dragon's…"

"Don't trash talk the little girl, destroy her!" Gaius exclaimed.

"Kick his ass Wendy!" Natsu grinned.

"I will, Natsu-san…" Wendy responded with a short nod. "Clear the way." The others nodded, making space for Wendy and Nasir to do battle. Once everyone was safe, Wendy darted forward once again, using her incredible speed to appear behind Nasir, aiming a kick to his back. A direct hit, which sent him staggering forward; Wendy then appeared at his front, arms already spread apart. "Sky Dragon's Wing Slash!" Throwing her arms down, an incredibly strong hurricane consumed Nasir, sending him spiraling in the air before he caught himself.

"Impudent…" Nasir grunted while righting himself in the air, inhaling a large amount of air before throwing his head forward, releasing a Sky Roar in Wendy's direction. It was twice the size of what she could ever hope to muster up, and it came in so fast it swallowed her whole, blowing her away with a yelp of pain.

"That's the same move he got her with last time…!" Lucy gasped.

"Wendy!" Carla shouted in worry.

"She'll be fine…" Erza reassured with a soft smile.

Wendy caught herself quickly, landing on the ground on her feet; she then lunged forward, crossing her arms as she flew past Nasir. "Sky Dragon's Whirlwind!" Right as she past Nasir, a whirlwind suddenly erupted, and caught the sky dragon within its grasp, roughly trashing him around before he hit the floor in a dazed state.

"Whoa, this kid is somethin' else…" Mii said while securely taking hold of the unconscious Cynthia. "You're a little crazy too, you know that…? What were you thinking…?" Mii's gaze then landed on Cynthia's shoulder, causing her brows to furrow. "…What happened to you…?"

Nasir shook his head, looking up only to see Wendy was just above him, slamming her wind covered heel into the back of his head, causing him to roll forward until he righted himself and stood back on his feet. "You're an annoying child!" Using his heightened senses, he caught Wendy attempting to attack him from the side, but the white haired dragon swung his large leg just as Wendy attacked, catching her off guard and sent her into the wall. "Raging Whirlwind." Before Wendy could pry herself from the wall, a vicious hurricane immediately shot up around her; revenge for the technique she just pulled.

Wendy collapsed onto the ground, but she was quick to push herself up despite the heavy injuries. Battling with a dragon wasn't easy, especially for her, but she had to win. "You won't beat me again…" Wendy growled while crouching down, lunging forward but instead went into the air. "Sky Dragon's Crushing Fang!" Her downward kick sent a powerful gust of wind towards Nasir, locking him down to the ground against his wishes. Wendy then landed, latching onto his bulky arm with a dark expression on her face. "You broke Cynthia's arm…so it's only fair I do the same thing to you, right…?" In one fluid motion, Wendy used her strength and bent Nasir's arm with such speed it snapped instantly, causing the dragon to let out a roar of pain. The fact Wendy resorted to such an action caught everyone off guard.

"That little girl is vicious…" Takeru commented while rubbing his arm.

"ENOUGH!" Nasir roared, his eyes taking that reptilian form. He threw Wendy off of him while the wind around became intense. "I've had enough, I will strike you down where you stand, daughter of that Sky Dragon…" Gathering the wind in his good arm's palm, focusing it completely in his hand, Nasir pulled back. "Furious Winds." Throwing his hand forward, a massive cyclone of wind that threatened to take Wendy out in one shot raced towards her at incredible speeds.

"Look out, Wendy!" Lucy warned.

"It's fine…" Wendy replied while twisting her body slightly, the wind around her body picking up as a light surrounded her form. A magic seal appeared under her body, walls of wind appearing around her in a counterclockwise motion. "As I said before…the air in this space is mine to control…" The wind Nasir used to strike slowly died down, now converging with Wendy's to amplify the strength of her next attack. "I've used your wind before…back when we were fighting on the ship, it's how I took out your underlings…and now it's how I'll defeat you.' Wendy spoke as a large cyan magic seal appeared before her being. "Secret Art: Shattering Light: Sky Drill!" From the seal, a massive beam of 'light' shot out, destroying everything in its path; first, Nasir was completely consumed by the beam that shot out of the castle and flew off into the distance, nearly reaching the other side of the island. When it faded, Nasir collapsed with his eyes white. He had been defeated.

"She did it!" Happy jumped for joy.

"She knocked out a dragon! Incredible…" Makarov was proud to say the least.

"Impressive, kid…" Mii let out an exhale as Cynthia smiled in her unconscious state.

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"Don't tell me they're getting all the fun!" Gajeel complained upon hearing all the sounds coming from the throne room just up ahead. "How'd they even get ahead of us?! I'm getting sick of them stealing all the glory…"

"I can only wonder what went on in there…" Mirajane said while tilting her head. Meanwhile, Levy managed to tie Venoma up with some Solid Script after everyone else wore her down.

"Whatever is was I'm sure they can handle the rest!" Lisanna nodded.

"This isn't fair! Release meeeee!" Venoma cried out comically, tears flowing from her eyes like a river as she desperately tried to free herself. "I'm just a cute dragon, I did nothing wrong! Gaius made me do it!"

.

.

"Whew…" Wendy exhaled, returning to normal and collapsed onto her hands and knees.

"Hmph…" Gaius stood from his seat. "If you want something done right, you'll have to do it yourself…" He inhaled before spewing a plume of fire towards the exhausted Wendy. Just before they hit, Natsu stepped in the way, inhaling the flames completely before gagging.

"Ugh, those tasted horrible…" Natsu said while wiping his mouth, now smirking towards Gaius. "But thanks for the meal anyway…I was feeling a little famished…"

"Wha…Who are you!?" Gaius questioned while Erza lifted Wendy up and carried her to the sidelines.

"Natsu Dragneel." Natsu pounded his fist together, flames erupting from his body. "Fairy Tail wizard, dragon slayer…and the son of Igneel." As soon as he uttered that last part he leapt forward with flames around his fist. "Fire Dragon's Firing Hammer!" Thrusting his hand fist forward, Natsu slammed it against Gaius' face and suddenly a large beam of fire followed after, sending Gaius rocketing into his throne.

"Agh…" Gaius grunted before shaking his head. "Son of Igneel? The King of Fire Dragon's…?" He couldn't believe this…if that was true, then… "Your flames still won't burn me, for I am a fire dragon myself." Gaius swiped his hands forward, creating a wall of flame to appear at Natsu's feet causing the Salamander to jump back just from the urgency of it. Gaius used this time to leap forward and attack Natsu while he was distracted, but a large wall of ice halted him in his place, causing him to slam against it. "Guh!?"

"Fire doesn't work, huh? Then let's try ice…" Gray smirked while activating his Devil Slaying magic once again, this time inhaling. "Ice Devil's…RAGE!" Throwing his head forward, Gray released a large torrent of ice in Gaius' direction.

"Ice of a demon? You honestly don't believe that will stop me, do you?!" Gaius threw his flaming arms forward, causing the ice to halt against his being. He struggled against it slightly, sliding back until his back hit the wall of ice.

From behind the wall of ice, Natsu was safely preparing his next attack. It was like he and Gray were coordinating their next attacks without even communicating. "Fire Dragon's…" Leaping high above the rampart of ice, both of Natsu's feet were surrounded in flames. "Talons!" Swinging his legs down, Natsu landed right on Gaius' head with a flaming axe kick, which forced Gaius to recoil, and resulted in Gray's attack to consume him and sent him through the wall of ice. Natsu then landed next to Gray, sharing a smirk with his half clothed rival.

"Flame of Kings…" Gaius uttered, causing a sudden explosion of fire to consume Natsu and Gray. It was so fast Natsu had little time to react and eat it, so he was sent rolling along the floor with Gray until he caught himself.

"I hope that wasn't all you got…" Natsu winced slightly with all his previous battle damage catching up to him, but he was still roaring to keep fighting.

"Because we're just getting started…" Gray continued with a smirk; he then extended his arm out, causing an icy burst to occur at his side. "Freeze!"

Natsu did the same, extending his arm to cross over Gray's as flames appeared by his side. "Burn!" Ice and flame wrapped together, shooting towards Gaius at an incredible speed. Natsu and Gray's unison raid: Flaming Bolt of Ice.

"Fire and Ice!?" Gaius gasped before crossing his arms, allowing the unison raid to strike him directly. Its strength was something else, causing him to slide across the ground a few feet with a grimace. "You humans are more irritating than I could've possibly imagined…" Gaius uncrossed his arm and began breathing heavily. Each breath caused flames to briefly protrude from his lips, causing Natsu and Gray to go on guard. Gaius reared his head back and inhaled, a large vortex of flame appearing around his lips. "Blast….BURN!" Throwing his head forward, the fire dragon unleashed a massive beam of fire that incinerated the very air it travelled across, hurtling directly towards Natsu and Gray.

Gray stepped forward, a chilling aura appearing around his hands. No words were needed as he held off the incoming Blast Burn with his own frozen aura. "Natsu!"

"I got it!" Natsu nodded and leapt forward, lightning now surging around his body while Gray used all his might and froze most of the Blast Burn, the rest of it scorching his body and sending him back, but Natsu had a clear shot. "Roar…" Flames and Lightning gathered around his mouth as he inhaled, closing the distance between himself and Gaius rapidly. Once he was in point blank range, it was over. "OF THE LIGHTNING FLAME DRAGON!" Opening his mouth, Salamander unleashed a massive funnel of flames and lightning that consumed Gaius, shooting out of the castle like Wendy's attack and travelled on for miles before dying down. When the attack cleared, Gaius was just like Nasir, lying on the ground out cold.

"They did it…" Selene was highly impressed at the show of teamwork. "That was the dragon Dhegensea was worried about…?"

"I could've done that…" Takeru huffed.

"Heh…" Natsu chuckled while giving Gray a high five. "And that's why ya don't underestimate Fairy Tail, you bastard."

.

.

By the sounds of things, it looked like the humans won. "Well…" Drake sighed and turned around. "Guess I better get out of here before things end up getting sticky…" Once he turned, he spotted Aira, Juvia, Luke, Waiston (still in Frozen Sky) and Kuro in front of him.

"And just where do you think you're going? You're a walking infection, and I can't let that linger on this island." Aira said with wind gathering around her palms.

"And I'm a dragon slayer who's been bored with the rag dolls outside…" Waiston had a malicious grin on his lips as the temperature continued to drop; he was so focused on Drake he forgot about everyone else.

"Shit…" Drake gulped, backing into the diamond wall that was used to block him off from Selene, Takeru, and Cynthia.

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"…What just happened…" The humanoid dragon questioned after seeing Natsu and Wendy's attacks fly off into the distance. A bad mistake…

"You shouldn't keep your eyes off your opponent; I never said we stopped fighting…" Laxus said before using Lightning Body to quickly close the gap between them, rearing his fist back in preparation for one of his signature moves. "Secret Art: ROARING THUNDER!" In one swift motion, Laxus landed a fierce uppercut to the jaw of the dragon he and the Raijinshu were fighting. The dragon's eyes widened before he flew back from the force of Laxus' strike and hit the ground, completely out cold after such a powerful attack.

"Hyahaha! That's our Laxus!" Bickslow let out a hearty laugh. "Nothing can stand in his way!"

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"Heh…" Dhegensea stared off into the distance with a smile. "It is as written…"

"Is it over…?" Kurthnaga questioned his father.

"Did they win!?" Ena questioned while nearly riding Kurthnaga's shoulders.

"Of course," Dhegensea nodded to Kurthnaga and Ena, though he didn't face them. There was a small grin on his lips…the evil kind of grin. It may have been over…but something else was about to begin…

.

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Gaius and his subordinates have been defeated! A war has been averted…but there is still a cloud of darkness looming overhead. The Fairy Tail and White Eclipse mages return back to the castle with their 'captives' in tow to celebrate their victory without this in mind.

Next time: The Truth.


	22. Chapter 21: The Truth

"I must say…you've all done an excellent job…" Dhegensea nodded towards the Fairy Tail and White Eclipse members after they all returned to the castle. They were patched up after all the fighting they did on the other side of the island thanks to Ena and were now having a victory feast in the dining hall, which had two floors. "You've prevented a very dangerous civil war from spreading to the mainland."

"Heh, it was no problem!" Natsu said with a wide grin, rubbing the bottom of his nose with his index finger.

"I still can't believe it…" Ena frowned while letting out a heavy sigh. "Nasir was a traitor all this time…working for Gaius…" She seemed truly heartbroken at this fact. "I just don't understand why he would…"

"Some things are better left unknown…" Erza said while placing a hand on Ena's shoulder, giving a supportive smile.

"You're right, Erza-senpai…" Ena nodded while returning the smile. Having someone call her senpai made Erza feel strange, she wasn't used to the term but she didn't have anything against it. "Oh!" Ena then clasped her hands together, delivering a bright smile. "I'm sure you'll all be happy to know that the others you've brought in are in custody. We had Venoma purify her toxins from the water, and we're keeping Drake far, far away from everyone else. Nasir and Gaius are currently locked within the chambers below, so the chances of them hurting anyone are very low."

"And…!" Kurthnaga added. "The dragons who have been infected with the poison are being cleansed as we speak. She's also removing the toxins from their body."

"What a relief…" Juvia let out a sigh.

"Excellent work, Fairy Tail." Makarov gave his children a firm nod.

"Of course, it wouldn't have been possible without us…" Reve just had to slide that comment in there, though it wasn't entirely false. And yet…

"We could've done it without you! You just held us up!" Natsu shouted, getting in Reve's face about it.

"You want a bullet to the head like Titania?" Reve questioned with his patented grin.

"You wanna end up beat down like Gaius!?" Natsu retorted.

"N-Now now…" Lucy attempted to intervene, though it wasn't the easy thing in the world once Natsu got riled up. "L-Let's just relax and prepare to leave tomorrow, all right…? It's pretty late as it is…!"

.

.

Cynthia was fine. Her arm and shoulder were bandaged up along with other parts of her body, but otherwise she seemed to be doing okay. Especially as she was consuming a large amount of food quickly; she had her appetite just like any other dragon slayer and wasn't shy about it. Wendy still wore a look of concern, however, but kept silent about it as she ate. "…"

"Everything okay…?" Carla tilted her head upon noticing Wendy's obvious concern.

"Oh…well…" Wendy began while twiddling her thumbs.

"She should be okay…" Ena reassured Wendy with a gentle head pat. "Getting bitten by Drake isn't exactly the best thing in the world for a dragon slayer…but since he didn't have contact for more than a few seconds and you acted quickly on it…she should be fine. If she were going to be Dragonized, it would've occurred by now. But what really amazes me is how she inhaled that mist, right…?"

"Yeah, she did that…" Wendy nodded. "It was scary…she could've…"

"She's special," Ena said with a small smile. "I guess there's something in that girl to ensure she stays alive as long as you're alright…from what I heard, this isn't the first time she's risked her life for you or the others."

"Sometimes she goes a little overboard…" Carla pointed out with a slight frown.

"…You know I'm right here." Cynthia spoke between bites, but gave the three females a wide grin anyway. She didn't give any rhyme or reason for her actions and yet it felt like they already knew why she acted.

.

.

"So…" Aira nudged Lucy's shoulder before pointing at Mii, who was sitting alone at a table while playing with her food. "Who is that girl…? She's been with you as long as you've been on this isle, right?"

"Ah…" Lucy nodded slowly before rubbing the back of her neck. "Yeah, that's Mii. Uhm…as for who she is, I don't really know. She says things but at the same time it's like she's hiding stuff from us. I think Erza knows her, but it might be from a long time ago…"

"What's she like?" Aira questioned.

"…Well, she doesn't take anything seriously, she flirts with everyone and when you ask her a question about herself she beats around the bush or changes the topic…and yet, when she's actually serious she can put up a good fight from what we saw." Lucy responded. "She's a mysterious one…she's been looking down since we got back from the castle. She beat us to the throne room, so I wonder if that has anything to do with it…"

.

.

"So…that's what happened…" Dhegensea nodded as Makarov and Sidney explained what they saw from the events at the castle. "As for the Scared Gem?"

"It's right here." Makarov spoke while handing Dhegensea the Scared Gem. "Its power is something else; I can say that for certain. How are we supposed to get the island back to the sky?"

"It's simple," Sidney spoke while turning his head to Mii, who still seemed to be oblivious of the world around her. "If what Makarov said is true, then she should be able to activate the Scared Gem's power to lift the island back into the sky."

"It's worth a shot," Makarov nodded before calling out to Mii. "Mii, come here for a moment. We need to speak with you."

"Ah…" Letting out a groan as she was pulled from her own thoughts, the red head waltzed over to the three with her hands on her hips, giving a bland look. "What is it?"

"Can you activate the Scared Gem's power again?" Dhegensea asked while holding out the gem before Mii.

"Wh…" Mii stared at the Gem before shaking her head. "No! I don't even know how that happened the first time, and even if I did, I wouldn't! You can't just exploit me like that when I don't even know what's going on!" She turned and quickly began stomping away. Sidney remained silent and just shook his head.

.

.

"That happened to Lucy…?" Erza tilted her head as Natsu explained what occurred when he, Lucy, and Happy were swallowed up by the ground. "That doesn't make any sense…how could that happen?"

"I don't know," Natsu replied with a stern expression. "But that's not the only part that has me worried. Those two in white coats…they were most definitely human, but they weren't serving Gaius. Which means…"

"That someone else knows about this isle as well…" Erza finished Natsu's statement, a giant question mark now hanging in the air. "I wonder if they could be the cause behind this as well…there's no way of knowing for now…"

"There you are…" Gaia approached Natsu and Erza with a small smile. "I was looking for you ever since you came back."

"We've been looking for you, too…" Erza said. "What are you doing on this isle? Though you do blend in nicely."

"Undercover work…" Gaia responded with a stern nod. "I heard about this island and came to check it out for myself…every dragon still lingering around knows about this island, the location is a different story, however. I believed they were planning to invade the land below and it turns out that was partially correct. You guys seemed to take care of it rather nicely. I couldn't bring the rest of Cosmic Star with me, but I doubt they miss me that much."

"What happens now?" Natsu questioned.

"We prepare to leave as soon as the festivities are done, of course," Erza replied while giving Natsu a harsh pat on the back. It was unintentional; it was just Erza after all. "And as soon as the island returns to the sky…that shouldn't be an issue."

.

.

"All these dragon butlers…" Gray commented with a slight chuckle. They were serving him food, which he wasn't complaining about. It was just odd for him to be served by humanoid dragons.

"Juvia thinks they're very nice, Gray-sama!" Juvia responded to Gray's comment with a chuckle.

"It's the least we can do for you guys helping us out," Kurthnaga said with an appreciative nod.

Gray waved his hand with a smile plastered on his lips. "It was no big deal, don't even worry about it…actually, wait a second. You choose White Eclipse and now you're thanking us?"

"Aheh…you guys worked together nicely. Maybe I was wrong?" Kurthnaga admitted while beginning to walk away. "Humans are such interesting creatures…I can see why Ena is so curious about them…I am now, too…"

.

.

Standing on the balcony of the dining hall, Dhegensea cleared his throat to gather everyone's attention. "Attention, everyone…!" Everything fell silent as the Black Dragon King began his speech. "Today is a joyous day. As written in the Scroll of Fate, a war was going to break out on this island and put the human world in danger after the heat of battle began to boil in our blood. But thanks to my daughter and son, Ena and Kurthnaga, they have chosen fine warriors who averted this war for us, keeping our realm peaceful!"

"Psst…" Takeru nudged the closest person who was nearby, which happened to be Laxus. "Sparkplug…"

"What?" Laxus whispered back in an irritated tone. "Can't you respect the man in charge and listen to him speak?"

"I can multitask." Takeru replied before continuing. "You know, there's something that's been bothering me this entire time about all of this…these are dragons, yeah?"

"Yeah…" Laxus nodded slowly while keeping his eyes on Dhegensea.

"We've fought dragons before…" Takeru went on. "Acnologia…King…Adam…Mithril…and there was that Eclipse incident…how strong were those dragons?" Now Takeru had Laxus' attention; the lightning slayer nodded slowly as if to say keep going. "Right…so…we defeated dragon soldiers…supposedly high level dragons…with not much trouble…"

"Thanks to them…" Dhegensea's speech continued. "We now have those who wished to do harm against us in custody." Snapping his fingers, Nasir, Gaius, Drake, and Venoma appeared in chains. "Nasir and Gaius the traitors, those who tried use our power to bring harm to us and the humans…along with Venoma and Drake, their subordinates…we're all in one place, and the island has sunk due to their actions…."

All fell silent before Dhegensea went on with one word.

"Perfect."

Upon hearing that, Fairy Tail and White Eclipse tensed up. Something wasn't right.

"What does he mean by perfect…?" Luke questioned with a handful of food in his mouth.

"We could not have done this without your help, Fairy Tail…White Eclipse…." Dhegensea slowly began to grin, causing Ena and Kurthnaga to tense now.

"Father, what are you…" Ena began.

"Fate stated we would be long at war…but a band of heroes would appear and reunite the island. That is what the scroll had written…we cannot defy fate, nor can we question it. So…we went along with fate. Gaius and Nasir played their roles beautifully, as did I, along with my children and everyone else."

"What are you saying!?" Kurthnaga questioned.

"I don't like where this is going…" Laxus prepared himself.

"We have been reunited…Gaius, Drake, and Venoma have returned to the castle, just as fate wrote…and now the time for the dragons to reign over the humans…has come!" Dhegensea raised his hands, causing the chains around the captured dragons to shatter, and they all let out a roar, shaking the foundation of the castle.

"W-What's going on…!?" Levy asked while frantically looking around.

"This was all a big ruse, wasn't it…?" Gajeel grit his teeth.

"Oh, and there's another thing…" Drake stepped forward, one foot on the balcony railing as he peered down at the mages below. "The water? It wasn't poisoned by Venoma…" A large grin slowly began to form along his lips. "I tainted the water with my vicious bite…and all those dragons on this side of the island drank that water. Do you know what that means…?"

"YOU DIDN'T…" Lucy placed her hand over her mouth, eyes wide with shock. Outside the castle everyone could hear it: the pained screams of the residents of Dhegensea's side of the island quickly turning into full-fledged roars, shaking everything for miles. "T-They're dragons…!?"

"That's right, sweet thing!" Drake's grin widened. "And every dragonized dragon that's been infected by me is under my control!"

"They damn sure pulled the wool over our eyes…" Waiston grunted.

"Not to mention…" Nasir continued. "My troops, and Gaius' troops all have the ability to transform into dragons at will…and they follow our orders. So we have three platoons of dragons ready to go, once the Dragonized ones finish the process."

"You bastards…" Natsu clenched his fist, flames erupting around his hand.

"W-What's going on…?" Ena stared at Kurthnaga, but he had nothing. He was just as shocked as she was.

"They think they outnumber us at the moment…" Cygnus remarked. "Reve, say the word and I'll weight all these bastards down with a first class serving of Gwydion Gravity…"

"Dhegensea's been working behind the scenes this whole time…?" Natsu thought while looking directly at the Black Dragon. He was untransformed, and even though his power demanded respect beforehand, Natsu was certain that with all of them together they could defeat Dhegensea here and now before things got worse. "Min'na…" Right after he spoke, there was the sound of a gun reloading. Everyone's prime instinct was to look at Reve, but he didn't have any of his guns at the ready quite yet.

"Ah yes…and there is one more person I forgot to thank for making this plan possible…" Dhegensea chuckled.

"Wendy!" Lucy cried out with worry.

"Now I know what you're thinking…" Mii spoke while holding Purple Pot to the back of Wendy's head. Wendy's eyes were wide with fear and shock; Cynthia would've intervened but she was too afraid to move, the same can be said with Carla. "If we all band together we can defeat Dhegensea in an instant, right?"

"You bitch…" Erza clenched her hand into a fist, glaring towards Mii. "You're on their side!?"

Mii shook her head, a small grin appearing on her lips. "I told you before, right? I'm a very…whimsical being. Now then…if you don't want this little girl's brains to be splattered all over this fine floor…you'll stand down this instant. Sound like a plan?"

.

.

Mii, the traitor!? Dhegensea has revealed his intentions and Fairy Tail and White Eclipse are stuck in the middle! There's only one course of action that can be taken right now…

Next time: Escape!


	23. Chapter 22: Escape!

"So, do we have a deal?" Mii questioned with a sly grin, keeping the pistol Purple Pot pressed to the back of Wendy's head. "Don't make rash movements now…I would really hate to blow her brains out."

"W-Wendy…" Cynthia's heart was pounding in fear. The last thing anyone needed right now was this, especially Cynthia. If Wendy died…

"Mii, what's the meaning of this?!" Erza questioned with an angered expression. It was taking all of her willpower not to lunge forward and choke Mii for threatening Wendy's life like this…the only reason she couldn't was for that very same reason. "I thought you weren't involved in this…!?"

"Ah…that's where you'd be a tad wrong…" Mii spoke in a matter of fact tone. "You see…I don't like to be on just any side. I like to be on the winning side…why would I stay with a buncha losers?"

"This can't be happening…" Lisanna said while covering her mouth.

"Bastards…" Natsu already had a fire igniting around his fist, glancing around at the waiters who'd yet to transform into dragons. He'd take them out if he needed to.

"I don't get it…" Levy paused, completely confused by Mii's sudden act of betrayal. "Mii…you were with us the entire time, and like us you didn't even know where the boat led before we got here…and now when things are shifting, you're suddenly on their side? I don't understand…"

"Ah, allow me to clear your confusion…" Nasir spoke up with a soft chuckle. "You claim she was with you the entire time…? Are you absolutely sure about that? Wasn't there a small frame of time where Mii's whereabouts were…unknown?"

"Unknown…" Levy thought for a second before she remembered. "Wait…!"

[Flash back]

"What was that about?" Gray and Juvia were late to the party.

"We're squaring off with White Eclipse once again…" Lucy let out a soft sigh. "Losing guild gets off the island…"

"What!?" Gray's eyes widened at the news. "Those cocky bastards…they'll never learn, will they?"

"Master, I'm…" Erza started, but Makarov shook his head.

"Don't worry about it…" Makarov said as a small smile stretched on his lips. "They underestimate my children…and I know you all will show them the error of their ways, so I'm not worried. We can discuss more in length later. For now, prepare for the challenge and pick the three that will face off against White Eclipse. Erza, I leave it all to you."

Mii stood up, stretching as she began to make her way out. "I'm going on ahead; I want to be surprised when I see who's going off against who…" Passing Erza, Mii turned, whispering in the scarlet knight's ear. "Don't screw up, Erza-san~" With that, Mii made her way out, giggling softly as Erza stood there with a look of confusion.

[End Flash Back]

"No…" Levy's eyes widened at the realization.

"She's gone for about an hour…" Lucy clenched her hand into a fist while staring at Mii. "But what the hell happened in an hour to lead to this…!? You've shown us your serious side, and I don't think you're as whimsical as you're letting on…"

"What happened?" Mii questioned with a tilt of her head before giving a shrug. "I'm sorry, I can't divulge that information quite yet…it's very important."

"We have to save Wendy and get out of here…it's not safe here…" Makarov used his telepathy to silently speak to his Fairy Tail children and While Eclipse. "As much as it angers me, we cannot do anything about Mii just yet…"

'Psst…Reve…' It was Warren solo communicating with Reve, causing the gunslinger to briefly turn only to acknowledge who it was. 'You're in Mii's blind spot…if you can take her down we can get out of here…'

'I don't take orders from a Fairy.' Even in his mind his voice held that cocky, superior attitude. But upon closer examination, Warren appeared to be correct. Reve was in the perfect position for a shot, causing his patented smirk to slowly form along his lips. 'But I'll do you this favor. Just make sure you don't screw it up, Fairies.' A golden glow quickly manifested in his hand, turning into a pistol; a magic seal appeared on Reve's hand, pushing it forward; Precision Eyes active, Reve took a shot at Mii, the bullet flying faster from the barrel than most could keep up with.

"Ha…?" Mii turned just as the bullet was fired. It hit Purple Pot, the recoil causing Mii to stagger back away from Wendy.

The second Wendy knew she was free, she turned with her cheeks inflated and… "Sky Dragon's Roar!" Her mouth opened, unleashing damaging hurricane that blew Mii towards the furthest wall away.

"Oof!" Mii hit the wall though she was quick to shake the impact off. She noticed Reve firing off more bullets towards her, so she countered by unleashing her own, causing a small explosion that shrouded her with smoke. Mii then used her agility to run up the wall, landing right next to Dhegensea with a shrug. "My, my…they're crafty…!"

"Cynthia!" Wendy clung onto Cynthia after the experience, tears welling up in her eyes.

"I'm so glad you're safe…" Cynthia let out a huge sigh of relief.

"Let's escape!" Gaia was the one who broke down the castle wall with an Earth Roar, which lead to the city. "Don't waste any time, let's go!"

"Never have I been gladder to see that Earth Dragon…" Luke commented while fleeing with the others…but of course there was one person who had to stay behind because he wasn't going to let any of this fly.

"Natsu!?" Lucy turned on her heel, surprised to see Natsu still standing there. "Come on, we have to GO!"

Natsu didn't listen to Lucy, instead he just stood there with fire and lightning surging around his body, staring directly at Dhegensea. "Dhegensea…"

"Sir, allow me…" Venoma began, but Dhegensea merely placed his arm before her.

"No. He wishes to challenge me…I will accept his challenge." Dhegensea then leapt from the balcony, landing a few feet away from Natsu with his arms hanging at his sides. "Natsu Dragneel, Son of Igneel…you're making a grave mistake challenging me. But…I will give you one chance. Swing at the king…you best not miss."

"One chance is all I need." Natsu responded while lunging forward, fire and lightning blazing around his dominate arm. "Lightning Flame Dragon's Firing Hammer!" Thrusting his arm towards Dhegensea's chest, a powerful surge of lightning and flames exploding after impact to ensure a powerful blow was delivered. …None of that happened. Natsu's fist was caught and both elements around him fizzled out as Dhegensea lifted him into the air. "TCH!" Natsu wasted no time in preparing to launch a point blank roar, but Dhegensea's free, large hand gripped Natsu's face, beginning to crush his skull. "GH…!"

"NATSU!" Lucy cried out while Erza doubled back to see what was taking them so long.

"N-Natsu!?" Erza's eyes widened. They were running low on time and Natsu's solo act wasn't helping.

"Father, stop!" Ena pleaded.

"You wasted your chance." Dhegensea spoke while his grip on Natsu's skull increased. All the while, Mii was taking aim from above. It looked like she was aiming to put Natsu out of his misery and hit him between the eyes. Mii fired the shot, but instead of hitting Natsu it struck Dhegensea's hand, causing him to recoil and drop Natsu, who finally scrambled away with Lucy and Erza. Dhegensea turned to face Mii with a slight glare. "What was that?"

"Ah…" Mii shrugged with a nonchalant grin on her lips. "He looked like he was in a lot of pain, so I tried to put him down nice and easily…but your big hand got in the way. Can't do much about that, now can I?"

"They won't escape…" Drake said with a grin, gray wings sprouting from his shoulder blades. "Sir, allow me…"

"Yes, my King…" Nasir and Gaius nodded in unison, allowing their wings to unveil. In the next second they sped off from their location and flew into the city after the fleeing mages.

.

.

The city was no better than the castle. In fact, it was far worse. The recently dragonized dragons were running rampant, destroying everything that was in their way. Some of them even started fighting each other despite Drake's wishes. He just had to wait some time before he could fully order them around. "There they are…making a break for the docks, huh…?" Drake grinned before soaring towards Fairy Tail, maw opened as a colorless vortex began to swirl around his mouth. "Where do you think you're going!?" After exclaiming this, Drake threw his head forward to unleash a beam of raw magic towards Fairy Tail.

"…!" Mirajane turned, noting how the beam was going to strike Elfman and Lisanna. Without a second thought, she entered her Satan Soul takeover, unleashing an Evil Explosion to counter Drake's attack. The two resulted in a stalemate of an explosion and Mira didn't look like she was going to back down yet.

"Mira-nee…!" Lisanna stopped and turned. "Come on, we have to get out of here!"

"You're not getting anywhere as long as he's around…I will fend them off while you escape. Elf-nii, please get Lisanna back to Fiore safely. I'll be behind you, I promise." Mirajane spoke in a stern tone that Elfman couldn't refuse.

"A-As a man, I will protect our little sister! I promise!" Elfman nodded before picking Lisanna up, who began trashing around to escape. Elfman didn't want to leave Mirajane behind, but he trusted her judgement.

"Good…" Mirajane nodded before standing off against Drake, fist clenched tightly with darkness magic swirling around them. "I heard you bit Cynthia. I hope you realize I will not forgive you for harming her."

"Ha…" Drake chuckled while landing on the ground, arms crossed. "You think you're in the position to be talking high and mighty, little demoness?" Mira could make a remark; Nasir unleashed a flurry of sharp winds on her location, causing her to fly into the air. "Ah, there he is…."

"Two on one…" Mirajane grunted while recovering, turning to see Nasir and Drake before her. Before anything else could occur, a bolt of lightning zapped both dragons, causing them to turn their attention to a building below. Laxus stood with his coat wavering in the breeze, arms crossed with an unamused expression.

"Laxus…!" Freed exclaimed.

"Freed, you're in charge of making sure everyone makes it out safely. You did set THAT thing up when we got here, didn't you?" Laxus questioned while keeping his eyes on the two dragons.

"Yes…" Freed responded.

"Good, then get everyone back safely. We'll be behind you." Laxus reassured before launching into the sky with Lightning Body.

.

.

Meanwhile, Gaius was chasing down White Eclipse overhead, unleashing multiple spheres of flame from his mouth that resulted in large explosions that really impeded the progress of the Eclipse mages. "Burn, burn, burn!"

"Shit…can't do anything with this guy hitting us from above!" Cygnus grunted before shifting on his heel, creating a magic seal above the flying dragon. "Come down to earth!" The gravity around Gaius increased tremendously, causing him to struggle in flight before he was brought down to the ground, hovering over it just a few feet.

"Alright, I guess we're up…" Luke glanced to Takeru and Leon, all three of them giving a simultaneous nod to one another. The three then stood back while the others continued their escape.

"W-Wait, Tak!" Selene stopped as if to pull Takeru along with her, but Takeru shook his head.

"Don't worry, Serena…we'll be fine." Takeru said with a firm nod.

"Leon…?" Aira felt the same way Selene did about Takeru.

"Don't worry, Aira!" Leon spoke with a bright smile. "We'll be right behind you!"

"But in the event we aren't…don't wait up. We've survived worse." Luke added before turning to face Gaius. "You three ready?"

.

.

Two separate ships for Fairy Tail and White Eclipse…they made it, but the only issue was they had little idea how to work them. Which was bad…because even though Laxus, Mira, Luke, Takeru, and Leon were holding off Gaius, Drake, and Nasir…there were other dragons that caught onto them leaving. "We're not going to make it out in time…" Warren began to panic.

"What about Mira-nee and Laxus!?" Lisanna questioned.

"We can't wait for them…we don't have the time!" As much as Erza hated saying it, she had to. She then made her way over to the steering wheel, recalling how Ena operated the ship. "I think she did something along these lines…" While Erza fiddled with the ship, Juvia stared out at the ruined city with tears starting to form in her eyes.

"Juvia…can't believe this is happening…" She whimpered.

"Bastards…" Gray grunted while clenching his hand into a fist.

"Hurry up!" Zalen shouted from the White Eclipse ship, having already gotten it to work began sailing it across the sea back to the mainland.

"I got it!" Erza shouted while the ship's engine began, sailing right after the White Eclipse ship.

"Freed…" Evergreen glanced at Freed, who merely nodded.

"Rune Magic…Make it impossible for any resident of this isle to escape!" Freed held his sword in the air, causing a rune barrier to appear around the entire island. The dragon's that attempted to follow the ships were stopped by the barrier, and no amount of trashing would shatter it. "Ah…"

"When did you set that up…?" Lucy asked Freed.

"When we arrived. On the possibility we failed to complete the mission, Laxus asked me to set up runes as we travelled the island. I didn't think I would have to use it like this…" He sighed heavily…Laxus and Mira were still on the island and if they were to escape, they would've done it by now.

"You made it out okay…" Gaia landed on the ship from above, almost startling a few people. She turned back with a solemn look in her eyes. "I didn't see this coming…"

"None of us did…" Natsu growled lowly from the side, thankful the ship was made to accommodate Dragon slayers and their motion sickness. "Bastard tricked and used us…!"

"And Mii…" Carla sighed while glancing down.

"That red headed traitor is going to pay…I call it." Gajeel narrowed his eyes. "I never liked her from the start."

"What do we do now…?" Wendy asked the others.

"We go home…we have to tell the Council about this, and they'll figure out a course of action from there…" Makarov explained. "The New Wizard Saints will discuss this issue in length, no doubt…"

"Indeed we will…" Sidney muttered from the other ship. He could hear Fairy Tail discussing a mile away.

.

.

Dhegensea merely went back to sit on his throne, pleased with how things were turning out so far. Of course Freed's rune barrier posed a bit of an issue, but nothing he wouldn't be able to get over in the long run. "You can run back home…but it doesn't matter. That barrier will not last forever. Once it shatters, we'll seize the human world."

.

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Fairy Tail, Isle of the Dragons: Part 1: End.

Next Time: Part 2 Prologue: Wizard Saint Meeting!


	24. Chapter 23: Wizard Saints Meeting

"That was exhausting…" Laura huffed while taking her place at the round table in a giant room within Pergrande Castle; this round table had thirteen other seats, only half were currently filled, the tallest one reserved for the King of Pergrande, but he was currently attending to other matters. Next to her was Lex, who wore the same gruff expression he had before the battle with Natsu and Lucy. The others who sat at the table were all donned in white coats, some of them kept their hoods on. "Throwing that fight was tougher than I thought…"

"You threw that fight…?" This comment came from the red headed male with spiky hair and yellow eyes across the table, one of the 13 commandants of Pergrande; Brax. His tone held some kind of mockery to it. "Because from what I saw…it looked like you two just flat out lost."

"Lost?!" Laura's nostrils flared at the accusation. "We were winning, and we DID win."

With a chuckle, the male next to Brax made his remark. He had bleached blonde hair and hazel eyes. "So explain why you came back with that shameful look on your face?"

A tick mark appeared on Laura's face, snarling towards the male who asked the question. "Okay, listen here, Xen…it's not my fault that blonde pulled off some random shit!"

"Random shit…?" Xen's attention was snagged, causing him to cross his legs and fold his arms under his chest. "Pray tell, what happened? Let's hear your excuse."

"Whoa, whoa…!" One of the hooded people spoke, their voice having that 'chill' vibe to it. "Let's not get all violent now…it totally kills the mood and tempo, y'know?"

"Oh shut up Wes…" Laura rolled her eyes before explaining what occurred. "So I went off of what our little spy had to tell us…bringing Lex with me to that Isle of the Dragons or whatever. We had them cornered and I swore I sapped every inch of life from that blonde bitch…but then this aura appeared around her body and her magic was all creepy and dark! She temporarily got the upper hand against both Lex and I, regrettably."

"So in other words…you lost?" Brax leaned forward with a widening grin which only pissed Laura off more.

"It was a draw!" Laura corrected while gritting her teeth angrily.

"That's very unfortunate to hear…" Nercon appeared in the room while shaking her head, arms folded beneath her bosom.

"G-General Nercon…!?" Xen was surprised to see the lady appear in the room, but it didn't look like her attention was on the males, just Laura, who gulped silently.

"You know, Laura…" Nercon leaned down, resting her head just beside Laura's shoulder. "The only reason I let you go from the 'business' is because the King saw your talent and urged me to let you go. My King is quite fond of me, as I am of him…but if he heard about this failure, I'm sure he'd have no problem putting you back with the other ladies…you remember how popular you were back in my business, don't you?" Laura could muster no words, she merely nodded as a cold sweat beaded on her forehead. "You'd do well not to fail again…that goes for the other ladies in here, too…I'll deal with you personally if I hear of another failure. As the 13 Commandants, you should not be having such an embarrassing display…your performance is supposed to make people fear the Four Generals, who are a league above you entirely…" Silence, but nods were given to show they understood. "Excellent. Enjoy your day…I have some girls I need to break in…" With that, Nercon left.

"Wow…Lady Nercon is such a woman…" Wes commented while rubbing his gloved hands together. "The way she strikes fear into Laura leaves me speechless…I heard her and the King have a thing going on…"

"That's not the point…" Laura cleared her throat to regain her composure. She was still shaken up by Nercon's threat. "The point is…that aura looked similar to the one that traitor made years ago. You remember them, yes…?"

"Oh, that traitor?!" Xen slammed his hands on the table. "My former lab partner you mean? The one who stole my research and fled with that virus information…!?"

"I can see you're still heated about it…" Wes said with a nonchalant wave of his hand. "Listen, why are we worried about it? It could be anything else in the world, maybe she's just always been like that? Reports aren't always accurate…"

"Oh, so you're saying the spy LIED to me?!" Laura's voice rose.

"Now, now…" Another male with a smooth voice spoke. He had short pink hair and green eyes; his stature was rather large as well. He was plucking petals from a rose, allowing the petals to flow in the breeze passing in the room. "Our spy is very through…perhaps the lack of information was not due to them withholding information…but rather, its information they did not know about. Did you think of that, Laura-san?"

"Lucius…" Laura furrowed her brows at Lucius' claim.

"What's the big deal?" Wes said while leaning back in his chair, acting all chill. "If we gotta dig deep and see if that blonde's an issue, we'll deal with it."

"Oh, so you're taking the lead on this then?" Lucius questioned with a faint smirk.

"W-Whoa, what…!?" Wes then brought his hands up, shaking them in a defensive manner. "You got the wrong guy for that. I'm totally not comfortable with that…"

"I don't think you have a say in this, #12." Lex finally made his remark with a brutish grunt.

"You're gonna send one of the lowest ranking guys to do the dirty work, huh…?" Wes sighed, blue comical lines wavering above his shrouded head. "Man, you're sending the wrong guy, let me tell you…"

"Speaking of lower ranks…" Lucius began to trail off. "I wonder how #13 is faring…"

.

.

Natsu punched a wall in the Fairy Tail guild, pink hair creating a shade over his eyes. The events of the Isle were quickly flooding into his mind once again, and the fact he couldn't do anything to even try and stop it made everything worse. The citizens were dragons, Dhegensea betrayed and used them, Mii's betrayal, Laxus and Mira were left behind…everything was just a mess. "Kuso…"

"Everything we did was for nothing but their own benefit…" Gray clenched his hand into a fist.

"And we left Laxus and Mira-nee behind…" Lisanna was on the verge of tears.

"We have to go back for them." Natsu sounded like he made the executive decision, but Erza and Makarov weren't having it.

"Don't be so rash, Natsu," Makarov scolded.

"Don't you care about Laxus and Mira, Gramps?!" Natsu shouted.

"Of course I do," Makarov responded, keeping his cool despite Natsu's yelling. "But we can't just rush in blindly. We're outnumbered and outmatched…I've already called the Council and they are gathering the new Ten Wizard Saints as we speak. Guildmasters are also involved in this since what's on the coast concerns this entire country first…"

"If we waste too much time…" Lucy worriedly began, but Erza placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder.

"Laxus and Mira are strong. They should be able to handle themselves until we arrive," Erza said with a nod.

The doors of Fairy Tail opened slowly, causing everyone to turn. And to their surprise, it was the one person they did NOT want to see right now: Mii. "Ah! I'm glad to see you all made it…"

Before Mii could finish, Natsu lunged at her and slammed a fiery fist into her face, the force causing her to tumble backwards. He raised another one in preparation to just wail on her, but Erza held a firm grasp on his arm, but she was willing to let go if Mii's answers were not adequate. "The HELL are you doing here, you traitor!?"

"How did she even get here so quickly…?" Carla questioned.

"O-Oi…" Mii rubbed her nose before staring up at Natsu with a look that showed genuine concern. "I was worried."

"We aren't in the mood for any of your lies, Mii," Erza's tone was low and threatening. "Why are you here."

"That's how you thank the gal who saved all of your hides?" Mii scoffed while looking away.

"And how did you save us, exactly?" Gajeel growled. "Your actions put us at risk if I remember clearly."

"Oh yeah…?" Mii glanced over at Wendy, who instinctively stood closer to Cynthia. "Oi, Wendy…I'm really sorry I had to use you like that, but it was the only way I was gonna get to the second story. Dhegensea told me to do it…"

"And you just listen to him now?" Gray asked.

"It's complicated…" Mii said with a frown. "BUT! After your fiery friend here nearly committed suicide, I was the one who bailed him out."

"Y-You shot at Dhegensea on purpose…?" Natsu paused for a moment. His glare still remained but he got off Mii at the very least, allowing her to stand up.

"Of course!" Mii said while dusting herself off. "You put me in a tight spot there, idiot. You see…Dhegensea and Nasir…they called me the Island's…Chosen…or whatever the hell it means…Nasir told me to come to the throne room of Gaius' castle, but I didn't know they were going to do that to me and make the island fall…I didn't even know my body was capable of doing something like that with the Scared Gem…"

"I think she's telling the truth on this one…" Wendy spoke up with a murmur.

"…I agree…" Levy nodded slowly. "She didn't know about the isle like we did…but there's more to it, isn't there?"

A slight smile curved onto Mii's lips and she nodded. "Mm…you're a fast learner…I think…well, I was told…they have the person I'm looking for held captive…and I was told he'd be released if I complied with their demands…I didn't say anything before because I didn't know it was true, but then I was put on the spot and had to act…"

"You put my children at risk," Makarov's voice grew low while his eyes shut. "And now two of them are out there on that island alone. Do you know the severity of what you've done to my family?"

"You sure know how to pin the guilt on someone…" Mii sighed. "I helped them make a break for it too. Though they're still on the island, along with those White Eclipse mages…I couldn't just carry them all the way…"

"Are you telling us the truth?" Lucy stepped closer to Mii, brown eyes staring directly into Mii's green.

"Honest." Mii nodded slowly.

"I don't wanna trust her," Cynthia huffed and crossed her arms.

Before anyone else could say too much on the matter, Sting and Lector walked through the Fairy Tail doors, looking slightly out of breath. "A-Ah…you're all here now…"

"Sting…?" Erza blinked at Sting's sudden appearance.

"You all were gone all day…and suddenly something crashes off the coast and you guys are back! What happened?!"

"It's…a very long story…" Lucy said with an exhale.

"I see…" Lector rubbed the back of his head.

"Well…if that's the case…that might be why the Council was calling me earlier…they said a meeting was beginning really soon and Guild Masters were required to come…" Sting explained.

"I see…" Makarov hopped up from his seat. "It must be time then…"

.

.

Council Headquarters, meeting room.

Siegrain stood in the center of the room between nine other figures whose faces were shrouded by the dimness of the room; on the sidelines were Odin, Correll (oh we'll get to him being alive later trust me), Doranbolt, and Lahar. These nine other figures were the other nine Wizard Saints. "Wizard Saints…I've gathered you here today because there is a threat that looms off on the coast." He began to gather everyone's attention. "This threat endangers not only us, but potentially the entire continent of Ishgar from what I've been told…therefore…" Siegrain slammed his hands on a table, staring at the other Wizard Saints. "We must reach a decision quickly, here and now, about how we will deal with…The Isle of the Dragons…"

.

.

The Wizard Saints have finally gathered! Who are they, and what is the decision they will reach?

Next Time: The New Wizard Saints.


	25. Chapter 24: The New Wizard Saints

"The Isle of the Dragons…" Siegrain repeated while staring over at the other Wizard Saints. "Of course, another threat has one again been provoked to our country first and foremost…but this meeting has been established to find out a way to handle this isle. I assume you've all read the reports given by both Fairy Tail and White Eclipse guild masters, yes?" Just around the table of Wizard Saints were the guild masters of the other guilds, Fairy Tail, and White Eclipse to tell the story.

"Right…" The 10th Wizard Saint, Avani Kanemoto nodded. She was a tall, slender woman with short black hair and green eyes; her stomach was a little out there, but it wasn't because of an unhealthy gain of weight… "I've read everything. I felt like I was reading a story with a lot of plot twists, it was a little hard to follow at first…"

"I agree, it may sound a little convoluted…" Makarov gave a nod of agreement before continuing. "But these are the events as they transpired."

"You Fairies have some pretty shit luck." The 9th Wizard Saint, Anri Varsuna, the new acting guild master of Black Phoenix, remarked from her location. She was a woman of average height with black hair and one large bust; at least she was dressed for the occasion of the meeting. "You and White Eclipse, what the hell is all this about? Dragons, dragons, and more dragons…"

"Dragons are not something to take lightly…" Satoshi, the guild master of Shaman's Haven remarked. Satoshi was the 7th Wizard Saint, and he tipped his hand over his eyes to create a shade over them. As a Dragon Aspect, Satoshi held dragons in an extremely high regard…so high that he disliked dragons slayers just for being dragon slayers. "These Dragons got somethin' in mind…the wind told me that much. However, I also got the feelin' not all of them are as bad as the reports say."

"That's right…" Erza nodded. "There was Ena and Kurthnaga…as far as I'm concerned, they were our allies."

"Erza, if you would please wait before placing your input, we are still in a meeting." Siegrain's nice way of telling her to stay quiet until they were done.

"I suppose we should cut right to the chase…" A tall male with black hair, red highlights at the tips spoke. His aura was different than that of the others, for he was a Celestial Spirit. Master Draco of the Spacial Radiance guild. "What to do about this Island. I know Dhegensea…perhaps I can talk him out of that nonsense."

"And when that fails?" Sidney immediately spoke up. He was the 2nd Wizard Saint. "It sounds easy on paper, but he was set in his ways and no amount of talking will change his mind."

"Before we talk about that…let us hear what our other Wizard Saints have to say…" Siegrain urged Sidney and Draco not to debate until everyone said their piece.

"Going back in guns blazin' is off the table." The 3rd Wizard Saint, Mac Chinegan spoke. He was a tall…seven foot male, blonde hair that reached down to his shoulders and green eyes, all with a tall, slender and ripped build. "Already got those reckless youngins' goin' in once and barely coming back alive."

"I concur, Saint Mac…" The 6th Wizard Saint, Zios spoke. He was a male with brown hair and black eyes, currently reading over the report. "Judging by this report there aren't very many options left."

"We mustn't be so hasty…" Lucius Kaiser, the 4th Wizard Saint finally made his remark. A handsome man with pink hair and eyes, looking sharp in his suit. "Surely we have some time to spare, so we shouldn't make any rash decisions."

"Someone's pretty patient." The 8th Wizard Saint, Kemuri finally made his remark. He was a male with black hair, looking just as nice as Lucius with a suit of his own. He was quiet until now, only because he had to give his opinion, which was pretty indifferent thus far. As far as anyone knew about him, he was just a mage who ran a business.

"I do believe this is a situation we should be taking seriously, after all," Lucius remarked with a causal tone. "Haste makes waste. We are dealing with an entire island filled with dragons. I believe our dragon experts can tell us something about this island that hasn't been reported, yes?"

"This is the first time I'm hearin' of this island…" Satoshi shook his head.

"I've known of this island, but I've not been allowed to speak of it for their safety." Master Draco responded with a shake of his head. "How ironic the situation has now become…"

"Tell us what you know, Draco," Siegrain nodded. "Any information you can share will shed light onto our decision."

"Yes…" Draco began. "The island dates back 400 or so years ago…while Acnologia began slaughtering dragons…the weaker dragons who knew they could not stand up to him created an island, and using the power of an item called the Scared Gem, they lifted it into the sky, out of detection's notice. The king of the island is named Dhegensea, a mighty Black Dragon who always claimed he wanted to preserve peace. I know not of his intentions now…but perhaps I can remind him of what they used to be."

"What a quaint little story…" Lucius remarked.

"Boring." Anri sighed, tapping her foot with much impatience. "All this talk about this or that, why can't we just blow the whole thing to dust." After speaking she turned to Siegrain. "Well, Siegrain-san?"

"I do believe I like that idea…" Siegrain nodded with interest at Anri's proposal. "Although, it will take at least four more people to approve of this notion. Using the Etherion Cannon, we will destroy the Isle of the Dragons."

"The weapon that can destroy an entire country?" Avani seemed a little skeptical about it.

"I'm against it." Satoshi instantly replied. "I'm not condoning that weapon use against dragons. There are innocent dragons that were pulled in to Dhegensea's scheme and they won't be suffering because of something they were dragged into unintentionally.

"They're already suffering," Sidney crossed his arms. "They've been Dragonized, there's no saving them. Better we destroy that island before anything worse happens."

"Sidney…!" Aira gasped at the notion from the sidelines. "You know we can't do that yet!"

"Oh?" Siegrain, taking an interest in Aira's concern, glanced in her direction. "And why is that? What reason do we have to not destroy this island as quickly as humanly possible?"

"Some of our own are still on that island." Erza responded. "Laxus…Mirajane…"

"Leon, Tak, Luke…" Aira continued. "We can't destroy that island with them still on it…! They're the reason we made it back safely!"

"The safety of the many outweighs the safety of the few." Siegrain uttered, his tone making it sound just as cruel as it was. "You're willing to endanger the world just for a few people?"

There was always that one person who had the audacity to speak up informally. Guess who that was? You guessed it. Mii. She walked into the center of the room while waving a hand nonchalantly. "Now, now everyone, let's just take a minute and reflect on the situation."

"Ha, I already like this one." Kemuri chuckled.

"I wonder who this little lady thinks she is. This is a grown up meeting, kid," Mac huffed. "Go an' sit yer ass back on that chair over there, understand?"

"Take a chill pill, old man!" Mii sighed, hands placed behind her back. "I'll have you know, I'm a very important person. Probably the most important, actually."

"Who untied her!?" Lucy questioned while staring at the others, all of them looking just as shocked as she was.

"You see, I have some information that wasn't shared with Fairy Tail or White Eclipse. Exclusive to MII only." Insert groans from her terrible pun.

"Exclusive knowledge? Pray tell, what is it you know that they, and we, don't?" Zios questioned.

"I was hoping you'd ask!" Mii grinned. "You see, when I was taking a nice leisurely stroll before White Eclipse and Fairy Tail went at each other's throats once again, I ran into Nasir. I didn't know he was a double agent at the time…but anyway! He told me he 'may be getting kidnapped' and if so, to head to Gaius' throne room ASAP if that was the case. Of course I was a little confused and he didn't give me much to work with before leaving. But when the time came, I went, and he and Gaius ended up using that stupid gem and my body to sink the island."

"Wait…" Avani halted Mii right there. "You mean to say you knew Nasir was going to be 'kidnapped' and didn't tell anyone?"

"I was told not to tell, and that events would play out by themselves with no need for interference." Mii shrugged. God, she was really annoying even to the Saints with the way she danced around vital information and her delivery. "But anyway, back to the whole, should we destroy this thing or not deal…"

"You should leave that to those who can actually make the decisions," Mac fired, causing Mii to sweat.

"Yeesh, fine, fine…" Shrugging once more, Mii returned to her seat. "A girl can tell when she's not wanted."

"She's…a real piece of work, that one…" Sting had a sweat drop of his own.

"She can weave one hell of a story, I can say that much…" Kumeri was amused enough by Mii's antics, but he was seriously thinking things over despite his exterior look.

"Moving on…" Siegrain had a sly grin on his lips before looking towards the Saints once again. "To destroy the island or not with the use of the Etherion Cannon. Who is currently opposed?" Once asking, he looked to see that Satoshi and Avani held their hands up. "So, that's two against two thus far…three votes in either direction will sway the decision."

"We shouldn't limit ourselves to just one option, sir Siegrain," Zios commented. "Perhaps a negotiation would not be such a bad idea?"

"I agree." Master Draco spoke. "We shouldn't just automatically come to the conclusion that destruction is the only choice."

Siegrain glanced at both Draco and Zios before asking, "Are you two against it then?" To which they nodded. Vote: 4 to 2. "Very well. Anyone else?" There weren't any hands up for now… "I see…who is not opposed to the idea?" With that, Sidney raised his hand, shocking most White Eclipse members.

"Sidney!"

"He's not budging…" Reve finally made his comment. He wasn't surprised from Sidney's decision.

"Bastard…" Natsu's hand clenched into a fist. He was angered that Sidney was not only willing to leave his comrades behind on the isle, but destroy it as well with them on it. The only thing keeping him from lunging at Sidney at this very moment was Erza holding onto his scarf.

"I'm thinkin' of what'll be best for all the youngin' in my home," Mac folded his arms over his broad chest. "Nothin' else matters more to me than them and as a parent, I ain't gonna put those lil rascals in danger."

Siegrain had a small smile at Mac's remark. "So we have your approval?" Where Mac simply nodded. The voting was even: 4 to 4. "Alright, Kemuri…you've been awfully quiet this entire time. Perhaps you'd like to share your vote with the rest of us."

"Oh?" Kemuri shrugged. "Simple. Leave it be for now. Why fix what isn't broken?" That was his reasoning. Simply because there was an ulterior motive working around in that mind of his that only he knew about. Of course, not everyone was fine with his reasons but there wasn't much they could do about it."

"And you, Lucius Kaiser?" Siegrain turned. "You are the last deciding vote."

"I think the answer is quite simple…" Lucius said while resting his head against his fist. "We destroy it. Nothing good can come from that isle lurking around the corner, don't you agree?"

"But wait…" Anri counted the votes. "That's five against five!"

"We've reached a standstill…" Siegrain sighed, but this wasn't the first time a standstill occurred in a council meeting.

"Erza," Gray nudged Erza.

"Ah…" Erza cleared her throat before speaking. "I have an idea…something that will work in everyone's best interests..."

"Oh?" Siegrain gave Erza his full attention.

Erza's plan was going to either be a hit or miss, but she had to pitch. "Allow us to return to the isle. We can rescue our missing members. At the very least, allow us to do that."

"Finding them isn't going to be an easy task…" Avani told Erza, but it looked like Titania already understood.

Draco shifted his eyes to Erza, finding this as the perfect chance for some diplomatic action. "I will accompany them to the island, perhaps then I can talk to Dhegensea and get to the bottom of this mess."

Kemuri shrugged. "Risking your lives going back to the same island your comrades risked their lives to let you escape from. Logic like that is precisely what gets people killed." From the tone of his voice, it sounded like he was speaking from experience. But from which end?

"We're not leaving any of our own behind!" Natsu replied.

With the suggestion given, Zios tilted his head. "You know it will be difficult to avoid fighting, correct?"

"We know!" Lucy exclaimed. "But we have to do it. Laxus and Mira…they're still on that island, and we can't…we won't leave them there!"

"Ugh…" Anri groaned, pinching the bridge of her nose. "There these Fairies go again, thinking friendship will save everything in the end…you know reality truly doesn't work that way, yes?"

"I'd rather die trying to save a friend then do nothing at all…" Wendy then glanced at Cynthia giving her a soft smile. "We have to return the favor…"

"Ridiculous…" Sidney shook his head.

"We'll do more than just save them, too…" Natsu stood on the railing, a blaze of determination flaring around his body. "We'll stop Dhegensea and save the entire island too!"

"N-Natsu!?" Lucy's eyes widened from how high Natsu was setting the bar.

Of course, an amused chuckle came from Siegrain. "Of course…I'm not surprised you'd slide this under my nose when we've hit a wall. Very well…you can return to the isle." Before anyone could truly celebrate… "HOWEVER. Starting tomorrow morning, I will place a counter on the Etherion Cannon. You will have until sun down to retrieve your friends and save the people of the isle…no matter what happens at that time; I will fire the cannon onto the island…does this sound fair?"

"You got it!" Natsu grinned. It's like he wasn't even fazed by the fact the threat of the cannon loomed heavily in the air.

"Is anyone else opposed?" Siegrain asked.

"The vigor of youth…" Zios chuckled.

"You're a snake, but a damn slippery one at that…" Mac shook his head, while Sidney remained silent.

"Placing faith in dragon slayers to save dragons…what kinda backwards world did I end up in…" Satoshi sighed heavily.

"Do we have to place faith in them?" Anri slumped over.

"Better than sitting here…" Avani responded.

"What an interesting turn of events…" Lucius kept a quiet chuckle to himself, and Kemuri just nodded.

"I suppose we have a plan then…"Siegrain nodded. "This meeting is dismissed."

"YOU IDIOT!" Gray comically slammed his fist into Natsu's skull, causing the two to be face to face once again. "The entire island, are you insane!?"

"We can save them!" Natsu replied with seriousness. "I won't let that bastard use us again like that…so I know we can save them and stop them!"

"There he goes, leaping before he looks…" Happy spoke with a shrug and a small laugh.

"But how are we going to get back, they know what their own ships look like and will spot us coming a mile away…" Levy questioned.

"…Ah!" Lucy snapped her fingers. "I know just who to call!"

.

.

A plan has been set in motion! Fairy Tail is ready to return to the isle to save their family and stop Dhegensea!

Next Time: Returning To The Isle!


	26. Chapter 25: Return To the Isle!

Only after a few hours of rest, Fairy Tail sat in their guild hall at the crack of dawn, earlier than they were supposed to be up to preparing for their next trip to the isle. "A part of me wants to say that meeting went by pretty well…" Lucy said with a sigh of relief.

"It could've gone by worse." Mii spoke with a simply shrug, causing everyone to cut their eyes at her.

"I should've had Vigro bind you…" Lucy spoke while shaking her head. "I can't believe you, you can't just go walking into the middle of the Wizard Saints like that!"

"Making our job a little harder than it needs to be…" Levy said while pinching the bridge of her nose.

Mii merely shrugged once again, giving that annoying smile of hers. "What can I say?"

Meanwhile, Natsu sat along, arms crossed as he thought back to that brief encounter with Dhegensea before they were forced to retreat. The power from the Black Dragon King was incredible and it was enough to completely snuff out his attack. "Tch…when we cross paths again, I promise it won't be the same, Dhegensea…"

"Don't think you're getting all the glory, Salamander…" Gajeel said with a sly grin. "I wanna throw a punch at that bastard too, you know."

It was around then that the doors opened; Hisui wearing her pumpkin disguise. Arcadios was not by her side… "Oh, I'm glad to see you're all still here…" Her voice sounded a little stuffy and she was sniffling.

"H-Hisui…?" Lucy tilted her head. "W-What are you doing here?"

"I heard what happened at the meeting…" Hisui removed the pumpkin head, setting it on a table nearby. "I would've come to put my piece in…but I'm just getting over a cold…"

"So you were sick during the meeting…" Wendy did wonder why Hisui wasn't around during such an important meeting.

"But I'm feeling much better now…" Hisui nodded.

"Did you come to see us off?" Gray asked. "Actually…I don't even know when we're leaving. Erza had us get up early for some reason, but we haven't seen her yet…"

"Sorry for the wait…" Erza then arrived, placing a communication lacrima in her pocket. "I was finalizing some plans…"

"Plans?" Makarov questioned.

"Yes," Erza nodded. "I contacted Jellal and told him of our situation…Crime Soricere will be fighting alongside us."

"How are they going to get to the isle…?" Asked Levy.

"They have their own method of transportation ready, worry not…" Erza responded with a reassuring smile. "The other guilds have also agreed to pitch in…White Eclipse is obviously going back, but we will also be having assistance from Blue Pegasus, Lamia Scale, Sabertooth, Mermaid Heel, and Quatro Cerberus."

"Everyone's getting involved…" Lisanna muttered.

Elfman raised his hand in the air, glad to hear that there was a lot of support behind them. "Man!"

"That still doesn't explain why you had us wake up early…." Gajeel grumbled with a small yawn, glaring towards Erza while expecting an answer.

"It was only partially my idea…" Erza replied. "I wanted us to get a head start on the countdown Siegrain put us under…"

Lucy then spoke up. "The other part of it was mine. I called in some extra help to get us to the isle…"

"Extra…help…?" Happy blinked.

Early morning visits in Fairy Tail were popular today. Once again the doors flung open, revealing all too familiar faces that were sights for sore eyes: Queen Tia, Diamond Ice, Jack Corvus, Acid Ace, Heartless, Club Strong, Daigo, and Spade Magnus. The reformed Dealer! "We're baaaack~" Diamond chimed.

"D-Dealer?" Hisui's head tilted in surprise. "What a lovely surprise…A-Achoo! T-To see you again! How are you all!"

"Quite fantastic, if I do say so myself." Tia responded with a slight grin. "Though…I can tell Her Highness is a little under the weather…"

"We're here because we were told we could help!" Ace said while snacking on an off brand snack rather obnoxiously. Some things just never changed...

Carla was just as surprised as everyone else to learn that Lucy called Dealer over. "You called them over here? I hope you have a plan in mind by putting more people at risk, Lucy…" her tone was a little harsher than it needed to be, but she did want to ensure everyone was aware of the gravity of their situation.

"No such things as risks when we're involved!" Ace responded with a cheeky grin.

"Debatable…" Heartless muttered.

"Not really helping our case…" Diamond nudged Heartless.

"Anyway…" Spade spoke, creating a lacrima in the center of the room. "We've been brought up to speed on the Isle business…" The lacrima formed a rotating model of the isle in question. "King had some information on that…but moving on." Spade pointed to the main city, where Dhegensea's castle was located. "If we're going to land, we need to make sure we stay as far away from the city as possible. In our airship we flew over the isle and well…it was heavily populated with full-fledged dragons…"

"I hope Ena and Kurthnaga are safe…" Erza silently mumbled. As far as she was concerned, they weren't apart of Dhegensea's scheme judging by their reactions when the shift happened.

"You know…" Mii hopped out from her seat, throwing off those who forgot she was there. "How about we try aiming for the jungle near the back end?"

"Who's this?" Tia questioned while giving Mii that disapproving stare.

"A pretty girl? Guess you haven't seen one of those, huh…?" Mii replied with that kind of smirk, causing her and Tia to immediately be head to head.

"You wanna repeat that…?" Tia's voice lowered.

"You sure you want me to?" Mii questioned.

"Okay, that's enough….!" Lucy began pulling Mii away from Tia, while Jack did the opposite.

"Calm down Sis…" Jack grunted.

Dusting off her skirt, Mii decided she had enough toying with people. "The name's Mii." She then went back to explaining her idea. "Anyway, the jungle at the other side. Were there any dragons there?"

"Not that we saw…" Daigo looked to the others and they shook their heads.

Strong finally made his comment, head tilted in a curious manner. "Ain't that jungle gonna be filled with other types of creatures though…?"

"Dragons do have to eat something…" Levy remarked.

"It's better if we aren't their next meal." Gajeel huffed.

"We have to find Laxus before then…" Freed muttered. "Though he'll be fine…"

"Mira-nee…don't worry; we'll be there soon…!" Lisanna thought to herself.

"I'll tell the other guilds then…" Erza nodded.

Sitting on the bar counter nearby was Mavis, legs swinging from while she carefully watched everyone devise a plan. "This island is rather troublesome…" She thought to herself before getting an idea, turning to Bisca. "Bisca."

"Oh…?" The female gunner turned with a curious brow. "What is it, First?"

"I'm going to ask a few of you to stay behind…but I just got an idea and I'm going to need your expertise for this to work. Would you and the others mind coming with me?" Mavis questioned.

"Of course…what is this idea you have in mind?" Bisca inquired. What was it that the First had so much confidence in her to do?

"You'll see when we get there. I don't want to spoil the surprise!" Mavis had that twinkle in her eyes.

"So what's the overall plan looking like so far…?" Cynthia asked. "We know how to get onto the island…but that's not really going to do us any good…"

"Cynthia-chan is right…" Juvia nodded firmly. "We must find a way to save all of those dragons as well!"

"Is there even a possible way to do that? They've been Dragonized, right?" Heartless looked towards Lucy.

"Mhm…" Lucy nodded slowly at Heartless' question. "There's a dragon named Drake…when he bites Dragons, or dragon slayers supposedly, they become Dragonized and controls them. I don't know if we can do anything about them unless we defeat Drake first…"

Ace shook his head while throwing the remainder of his off brand candy into the trash. "No…stopping the producer of the virus isn't going to stop the virus if it's already out there. It's like cutting off an infected limb after its already spread to the rest of your body...we have to snuff out the infection before dealing with the producer, but is that even possible…"

This was likely the biggest hurtle thus far…if they couldn't save the dragons they had no chance of winning. All feel hopelessly silent for a few minutes until Juvia's eyes snapped open. "The Mystic Water!"

"The what?" Tia blinked.

"The Mystic Water…Ena-san told us that the Mystic Water can cure anything…" Juvia was sounding really hopeful about this. "Juvia thinks…she could use that to help save those dragons!"

"Of course…!" Now Levy remembered. "She did say that…so we can save the dragons using that!"

"What about Dhegensea himself?" Natsu finally spoke, causing everyone to turn. The fact he asked such a question… "Bastard's something else…I have a plan, but…"

Mii walked over, flicking Natsu's forehead while puffing her cheeks out. "Don't be an idiot again. Your last plan ended up with you almost being crushed to death in his grip. I'm not bailing you out again. Everybody gets one, and you wasted yours."

"Ow…" Natsu groaned while rubbing his forehead. It was odd for him to be overly anxious about anything, but Dhegensea really did rub him the wrong way.

"We'll figure that out later. We have to save Laxus and Mira first, while White Eclipse saves their own." Erza nodded. "I think we're ready to go…

Natsu, Lucy, Gray, Juvia, Gajeel, Levy, Freed, Cana, Bickslow, Evergreen, Lisanna, Elfman, Cynthia, Wendy…Exceeds…Master, are you coming?"

Makarov shook his head slowly. "I'll be remaining here…but if you need my assistance, know that I will arrive as swiftly as I can."

"Before we go…" Cana handed cards out to everyone. "These are emergency cards. Activate these whenever you're in danger, all right?"

"Wait…!" Hisui coughed before speaking up. "I…I wish to go with you…I want to speak to this Dragon King myself and see what his motives are…"

"That's a bad idea if I've ever heard one…" Mii said while placing her hands on her hips. "He's a Dragon who wants to rule humans from what I heard, and there's already someone else taking that diplomatic route…"

"It's too dangerous…" Lucy hated to say this to Hisui, but…

"Come…we're running out of time." Erza nodded before turning to Ace. "Take us to your airship; we don't have a minute to waste. White Eclipse is riding with Blue Pegasus, while the other guilds are taking the ships we docked. They'll be joining us."

"Right, this way…" Ace nodded, and those heading out to the Isle left. Hisui took there with her gaze averted to the ground before clenching her fist…before she knew it; she was following them out the door. She was joining them, and she wasn't taking no for an answer.

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Lucius Kaiser of the Magic Council made his way into a large, secluded mansion that was a few miles away from Dawn City, along the western coast of Fiore. Once stepping inside, his pink hair and eyes shifted to a vibrant blue shade, a small smile plastered along his lips. Lucius Kaiser's real identiy was…Kaiho Lazuli, the guild master of the independent dark guild Empyrean Dawn.

"I see you've returned…" A male with short blue hair and blue eyes remarked from his position staring out of the window; his attire was similar to that of a military general's. "How did the meeting go?"

"Surprisingly well, Hubert…" Kaiho responded. "Unfortunately, the isle is set to be destroyed later today. Those other Wizard Saints truly are something else with their opinions…"

"How unfortunate indeed…" Hubert sighed while adjusting his glasses. "What is the plan, then? Do we let this chance slip through our fingers?"

"It is a high risk, high reward job…" Kaiho answered. "If you think you and the other Gemas are up to the task, by all means…"

"Only a few of them have stuck around this time." Hubert let out a small chuckle. "But I'll speak to them and see what they want to do. Time is a tricky beast; sometimes the illusion of having more or less time than one thought can really put a hamper on one's performance…"

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"It's that time, hm…?" Desdemona let out a quiet sigh while filing her nails. She knew everything that was going on everywhere. She wasn't surprised to hear that the Isle of the Dragons fell to the land. "He's trying to rule the humans. I can see that old lizard has never changed. Oh well…I suppose this will require the faintest bit of intervention, since I've not had my fun yet…Oda. Be a dear and grab the others for me? There's a pesky lizard that wishes to ruin all my fun…"

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In the skies above Ishgar; a gray airship moved silently, slowly approaching one location: The Isle of the Dragons. Within this airship were a few of the commandants of Pergrande: Laura, Lex, Xen, Brax, Lucius, and Wes. Lucius was placed in command for the mission of taking over the Isle while the others followed along. "You're all keen on your roles for this mission, correct?" Lucius asked while turning to the others.

"I'm telling you, you're sending the wrong guy…" Wes protested though it fell on deaf ears. No one was listening to him cry now.

"Look at the instructions I've given you. Follow them, and you should be fine," Xen responded with an annoyed sigh.

"If the subject fails to respond…use force?" Wes groaned. "I'm totally not okay with this…"

"Your complaining will get you nowhere…" Lex spoke with a quiet grunt.

"I think we should all relax. The King himself sent us on this mission, meaning that he's got nothing but faith in us," Brax chuckled while crossing his arms. "Least you could do is straighten up so you don't embarrass the name of Pergrande." Brax then walked to Laura, slipping an arm around her shoulder. "And you should lighten up, Lady Nercon ain't gonna do anything to ya!"

"Shut up." Laura shoved Brax away with a huff. She was still shaken up by Nercon's threat…

"We'll reach the Isle within the hour…" Lucius told everyone. "Prepare."

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Dealer's flying ship was enough to accommodate the Fairy Tail mages that were going along with those in Dealer. It was also fit for Dragon Slayers since they didn't have to suffer through Motion Sickness. "I can't believe she convinced us…" Lucy let out a sheepish laugh while referring to Hisui, who seemed to be content after convincing Fairy Tail and Dealer she should come along.

Cynthia peered over the railing down to the ocean where the two docked ships were sailing out. "So…the others are down there, huh?"

"That's right." Erza nodded. "They're heading to the jungle along with us. And…" Turning, she pointed to the Christina flying not too far away from them. "Blue Pegasus is carrying White Eclipse in that one."

"Whew…Good…to know…" Cynthia responded slowly, the color from her face beginning to drain.

"Are you okay, Cynthia…?" Levy asked the wobbly girl.

"I…I don't…feel so…good…" Cynthia fell back and collapsed. Her face was red and her breathing suddenly became weighed.

"Cynthia?!" Wendy was quick to respond, rushing towards Cynthia while placing a hand on her forehead. "Are you oka…" Wendy then drew her hand back, a soft sizzling sound emitting after making contact with Cynthia's skin. "Ow…She's burning up…!"

"What's wrong with her!?" Lucy worriedly asked.

"Uhm…" Wendy looked around before having a bad feeling. She pulled Cynthia's shirt down to her shoulder, eyes widening in slight horror. Red scales were beginning to form on and around where Drake had bitten Cynthia earlier. "O-Oh no…"

"That bite…" Gajeel grit his teeth.

"Drake…" Wendy's lip quivered. She was too slow to stop the Dragonization process after all…all she did was stall it.

"Juvia has to get that Mystic Water…" Juvia told herself while clenching a hand into a fist.

"Is there anything we can do…?" Gray looked around, but no one had any suggestions at the moment.

"First things first, let's cool her down…" Tia suggested.

"Look up ahead…" Mii pointed, causing Natsu to look forward. They were approaching the Isle, but just ahead was Nasir, using his wind to keep his wings flapping. He wasn't moving forward, which suggested that he was at the border of the runes Freed set up.

"Nasir…" Natsu clenched his hand into a fist.

"Anyone could tell you were coming back…" Nasir remarked with a shake of his head and a chuckle. "You left some precious things behind, I know, I know…"

"What do you want!?" Natsu growled while flames lit up around his hand. "Another beat down? Tell us where Mira and Laxus are, unless they slipped away from you."

"Oh…those two?" Nasir pondered the thought before bringing up one hand that was covered in blood. "I think something may have happened to one of them, I'm not entirely sure…"

"That's a lot of blood…" Evergreen said with an uneasy tone.

"That's a bluff!" Lisanna was calling out the sky dragon on his bluff. "That could be anyone's blood. He's just trying to psych us out!"

"You really believe that, hm…? Very well…since you have dragon slayers in your ranks…I'm sure at least ONE of you can tell me who this blood belongs to…it was a rather nasty spill and a lot of it just happened to land on me.." With a simple flap of his wings, a gust of wind was created to send the strong scent of blood towards the airship, where the Dragon Slayers could deduce if it was a lie or not. Almost immediately, the eyes of Natsu, Wendy, and Gajeel widened once they caught the scent.

"T-That scent…" Wendy stammered with a horrified expression.

"No way…" Gajeel barely managed to speak.

"Who does it belong to?!" Jack shouted.

Natsu was slow to respond, his horrified visage slowly turning into an angered one. "That blood…I…its Mira's."

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Next Time: Premature Beginning!


	27. Chapter 26: Premature Beginning

"Hold up!" Sting exclaimed while staring up at the sky where Dealer's ship was just before the runic wall. The ship Sabertooth and Lamia Scale were on halted and everyone stared at Sting. "Something's not right up there, why did they stop…?"

"Look…!" Yukino pointed at Nasir, who was just a few feet away from the ship. "Do you think that one has anything to do about it?"

"If memory serves…" Rufus began. "I believe that is the one known as Nasir…his description matches what Erza told us."

"He's just sitting there…menacingly…" Rogue remarked before glancing towards Sting. "Shall we take him out?"

Sting shook his head. "Not yet…"

"What is going on up there…" Minerva muttered while folding her arms under her chest.

"It looks like he's talking to them…can you hear anything?" Lector asked Sting.

"Sounds like…one of the Fairy Tail mages left behind might be in trouble…"

"What are we sitting around for?" Lyon questioned. "We can support them now if we hurry and dock at the location."

"Wait…hold on…!" Sting's eyes widened as he caught what was about to happen next. "Lyon's right, we gotta move!"

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"That's…That's Mira's blood…" Natsu growled, veins starting to appear on his fist.

"I thought you said you covered her!?" Lucy turned to Mii, giving the red headed female a glare.

"I-I did, I swear!" Mii's voice rose as she defended herself. Usually she wouldn't be trusted…but the way her voice suddenly rose suggested she was telling the truth after all. "She kept moving so it wasn't easy, but I swear I bought her some time to leave!"

"Ah, you brought the Chosen back with you. How nice of you…" Nasir chuckled.

"Where's Laxus!?" Freed shouted while taking a grip on his blade, ready to use it if necessary.

"The one who kept throwing lightning at us?" Nasir questioned with a tilt of his head. "Hm…not sure what happened to that one. He vanished in a flash of light, but he couldn't have gotten far. But he did get farther than that white haired she-devil…"

Lisanna's eyes widened, tears starting to form in the corners of her eyes as her hands were placed over her mouth. "M-Mira-nee…"

"You…" Natsu's glare turned into the death stare the longer he looked at Nasir.

"And just what do you think you can do about it, boy?" Nasir's expression darkened, yellow eyes staring directly into Natsu's soul as he awaited an answer. "You have victories over us because we held back for Fate's sake…but now fate no longer requires us to hold back our might…do you really wish to test a dragon, Son of Igneel…"

That was it. Natsu could take no more of this. In one second he literally lunged from the ship with flames flaring around his body dangerously. "YOU BASTARD!" Natsu screamed while slamming his elbow into Nasir's face, the two of them beginning an immediate descend toward the isle's jungle.

"N-NATSU!?" Lucy shrieked as Natsu dove at Nasir.

"D-Don't be so rash!" Hisui exclaimed but considering who she was talking to it went in one ear and out the other.

"NATSU WAIT!" Happy shouted and went to jump after Natsu, flying down immediately after him.

"DAMNED IDIOT!" Gray shouted before turning to Ace. "Let's get this thing moving. That fiery bastard just doesn't know when to cool down!"

"Roger…" Ace nodded and the ship continued forward, but once it was within the island's airspace, Nasir's soldiers appeared (humanized form); using the winds he created to ride the wind. "Whoa, where the heck did these guys come from!?"

"These guys again…?" Evergreen let an annoyed sigh pass her lips.

"Wendy, we need you!" Erza exclaimed.

Wendy was watching over the infected Cynthia, shaking her head at everyone's requests. "I-I can't…Cynthia's burning up and her temperature isn't going down even with Diamond's help…!" Just then, a large gust of wind shook the ship; Wendy wrapped her arms around Cynthia, ignoring the powerful burning sensation emanating off the sick girl just to ensure she wouldn't be thrown around. "She's not waking up either…!"

"Guess we gotta do it ourselves…" Gray understood Wendy's situation.

"Get these things away from the ship so I can land it…!" Spade told everyone.

"Easy." Jack spoke with confidence while leaping off the ship, a yellow light enveloping his body as he entered his Corvus armor. Raven-like wings flapped once before taking off with Wicked Flames in both hands. "Wicked Blaze!" Throwing his hands down, the two purple embers flew off before exploding in a violet blaze at the wind soldiers. The blaze lasted for a few seconds before being snuffed out by the wind current. "Wha…the wind sucked away my fire!?"

"I don't think they have any intentions of letting us have a safe landing…" Cana spoke while pulling out a few cards.

"That's too bad…" Erza remarked while entering her Heaven's Wheel armor. "This isn't about what they want. This about what we came here to do." About 100 swords formed around the ship in a circle, pointing outwards towards the soldiers. "If they aren't going to give us a way through, then we will MAKE a way through. Mira, Laxus…wait for us just a little longer!"

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"W-What's that…?" Jenny asked while pointing off the starboard bow; the orange streak rapidly approaching the island in a downward motion.

"That looks a little too familiar…" Hibiki remarked. "Wait a moment…you don't think it could be…"

"Don't tell me that pink-headed bastard got riled up…" Waiston grunted.

"Somehow I expected that hot headed dragon slayer to screw up the surprise…" Jaxon spoke with a slight sigh.

"It's not so much a surprise when they were waiting for them…" Reve remarked. "Either way, their attention isn't on us yet. Let's hurry and land this thing so we can get our own back."

"Shouldn't we help them…?" Aira asked while pointing in Fairy Tail's direction.

"They'll be fine, let's hurry," Reve immediately responded. "Ichiya."

"MEEEEN! Onward!" Ichiya commanded.

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"GUWAAAAAH!" Natsu roared as he slammed Nasir down into the forest ground, a fiery explosion occurring that destroyed some trees in the area. Afterwards, Natsu jumped back as Nasir stood up. "You bastard!"

"That was an impressive blow…" Nasir spoke while dusting himself off. "What do you intend to do in this fight? That Mirajane is…"

"I don't know what's one hundred times worse than death…" Natsu cut Nasir off as the fiery aura around his body only intensified. "BUT I'M GOING TO MAKE YOU FEEL IT!" The salamander lunged forward once again with his arm cocked back, flames wrapped around his fist. "Iron Fist of the Fire Dragon!"

"Hmph…" Nasir shook his head at Natsu's exclamation before wind surrounded his own hand. "Sky Claw!" Nasir threw his hand forward just as Natsu aimed his punch, the two colliding before an explosion occurred, creating a cloud of smoke.

Natsu didn't let up even as the smoke formed. Flames wrapped around his feet and he jumped forward, aiming an upside down kick towards Nasir's head. "TALONS!" Nasir brought his arm up to block the hit, a small crater forming under his feet from the force of impact. Natsu didn't so much as grin even though Nasir was right where he wanted him. One inhale was taken before a massive funnel of flames consumed the wind dragon, causing him to slide back a few yards with burns all along his body.

"Heh…" Nasir merely chuckled before turning and sprinting away into the depths of the jungle.

"HEY!" Natsu growled, immediately chasing after Nasir with Happy now right behind him. "Happy! Let's get that bastard before he gets away!"

"A-Aye sir!"

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"It looks like we're above a few ships…" Brax said while pointing below. "What should we do?"

"Leave this to me…" Xen said with a sly grin. "I've always been fascinated by the technology of other countries, so this'll be fun…"

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"I think that's all of them…" Erza said with a few pants. "Is everyone okay…?"

"Man, that day's only just started and everyone's trying to get rid of us…" Jack sighed.

"Cynthia's cooled down a bit…" Wendy let out a sigh of relief. She'd forgotten all about her burns now knowing Cynthia was okay.

"I don't think we're out of the woods yet…" Gajeel could sense a foul stench in the air. Just then, Xen landed in the middle of the ship, two fingers placed on his forehead. "The hell!?"

"So, this must be the ship…" Xen spoke with a soft chuckle.

"What are you…" Mii began, but it was too late since Gray and Gajeel both went on the offensive.

"Iron Dragon's Club!" Gajeel thrusted his arm forward, morphing it into an iron pole that rushed towards Xen at high speeds.

"Ha!" Xen raised his right arm, creating a spiked shield made of modified ice along the limb. This large shield was more than effective in blocking Gajeel's strike, a chilling sensation running down the spine of the iron slayer. "Pathetic…"

"T-The hell?" Gajeel grit his teeth before pulling his arm back.

"Ice?" Gray smirked. "My element let me handle this…" Gray sprinted forward, fist in his palm as a chilling wind wrapped around his body. "Ice Make…"

"Too slow!" Xen swiped his hand; in a bright white flash Gray was enveloped within a sphere of ice that completely froze HIM solid. Before anyone could react, Xen sped forward and smashed his spiked shield into the frozen Gray, causing double the damage and sent him tumbling along the ship heavily damaged.

"Gray-sama!" Juvia hurried towards the injured Gray's side.

"So…this is the extent of Seven's technology, I see…" Xen sighed.

"The hell is that supposed to mean!?" Ace said while shifting into a stance, requipping his standard Acid Ace armor. "You wanna get off the ship, or am I gonna have to throw you overboard!?"

"I'm afraid it's too late for that…" Xen replied while shaking his head. "Within the few seconds I've been on this little airship I've already discovered all of its weaknesses after merely scanning it…"

"We've no time for your games!" Erza closed the distance between herself and Xen with the use of her Flight Armor while drawing back the mace that belonged to her Purgatory armor. Leaping into the air, Erza used her momentum to slam her mace down on Xen, but he brought his shield up to protect against the blow. The shield remained undamaged while the resulting shockwave threw the ship off course.

"Erza!" Heartless shouted while clinging to the railing. "Don't do that! This ship wasn't made for a battle ON BOARD!"

"Tch…" Erza leapt away, surprised that Xen held no damage on him. "Who are you!?"

"You may call me Xen…" Xen introduced himself with a small grin. "But you've no time to worry about that…because I've already frozen this ship's engine." After he spoke, the ship rapidly began to descend towards the isle at a pace they couldn't control.

"Diamond, do something about this!" Strong ordered, but Diamond was on the other side.

"I-I'm trying…!" Diamond exclaimed, but the ship was falling too fast to remedy the situation.

"Adieu." Xen chuckled before a magic seal appeared around his body, warping him away from the soon to crash ship.

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"H-Hey…!" Orga pointed towards the falling Dealer ship. "What happened up there? Why are they going down!?"

"We better go help them, and fast…" Chelia had concern in her voice. "I have a bad feeling…"

"It's a shame you won't be doing anything of the sort…" A pillar of flames suddenly appeared on the on ship of Sabertooth and Lamia Scale, causing them to get into a battle ready position. Brax appeared, arms extended as wheels of flame wrapped about his hands to form two spiked chakrams colored red and sliver. "Sorry, but we've got our own business to take care of on that isle, and having more people just cramps my style…"

"A fire mage…?" Lyon immediately had a grin on his face. "Easy…Ice Make: Dragonfly!" Lyon placed his fist in his palm, throwing his hand forward to send a plethora of dragonflies towards Brax.

"I ain't your average fire mage…" Brax chuckled before throwing a singular chakram forward, a vicious trail of fire following the weapon as it cut through the dragonflies and nearly hit everyone on the ship, causing them to back away. "Name's Brax…Got it memorized…?" Shortly after, a massive wall of flame appeared in the center of the ship, nearly splitting it in half.

"S-Sting-sama…!" Yukino cried out while trying to keep her balance.

"Bastard…" Sting narrowed his eyes at Brax as the ship began sinking to the water. They were so close to the shore too… "Lector! Get Yukino to safety!"

"Frosch…" Rogue merely uttered the Exceed's name.

"Fro thinks so too!" Ah, the famous one-liner, but Frosch did understand what Rogue was asking. Get everyone to the shore as quickly as possible while the Twin Dragons dealt with Brax.

Even as the ship was falling apart, there was enough room for Sting and Rogue to combat Brax. "You two think you can take me on?" Brax questioned with a slight jokester look.

"You're gonna go down along with this ship…" Sting said with his eyes narrowing to a glare. Without another wasted second, the White Dragon lunged forward with holy light forming around his fists. "Iron Fist…of the White Dragon!"

Alongside Sting was Rogue, shadows engulfing his hand before thrusting it forward. "Shadow Dragon's Claw!" The Twin Dragons attacked Brax simultaneously, but he blocked both of their attacks with his Chakrams; even so, they continued the offensive, shifting their momentum to their legs where they aimed another round of attacks in unison, but Brax blocked this as well with a cocky grin plastered on his face. "That was cute, but now it's my turn!" Spreading his arms apart, a line of flames began to trail around his position in a circle. "BURN BABY!" Suddenly, a giant column of flame exploded from around his person, spreading out to incinerate the rest of the ship while blowing Sting and Rogue away into the water.

"Sting-sama! Rogue-sama!" Yukino called out to the struggling swimming dragons. After the column of fire, Brax vanished.

"I got them…" Minerva extended her hand, creating two orbs of Territory around Sting and Rogue, quickly warping them to the land. "Are you two…okay?" Minerva asked the Twin Dragons.

"Ugh…" Sting groaned while rubbing the back of his head. "Who was that guy…?"

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"Senpai!" Ren shouted towards Ichiya, noticing the other ships beginning to go down. "Something's happening to the others!"

"Someone's attacking." Reve stated. Just then, Lex landed on the ship, his pure might causing Christine to shake violently and nearly threw it off course.

"Get him off the ship!" Jenny shouted.

"Already on it!" Cygnus grinned as his cheeks inflated. "Gravity God's Bellow!" His mouth opened, unleashing a funnel of gravity towards Lex. To his surprise, the bellow merely bounced off the aura Lex had around his being. "What the…!?"

"RAH!" Lex raised his fist into the air, bringing it down quickly into the ship's floorboard. The power behind the punch was enough to immediately send the Christine in a state where it helpless began to fall to the ground. Afterwards Lex just vanished in a flash of light.

"We're gonna crash!" Eve shouted in worry while trying to recalibrate the engines to soften the landing, but the engine was busted from Lex's single punch.

"MEN!" Ichiya kept his calm composure, having the upmost faith in his crew. "Stabilize our altitude so we can soften the landing! Everyone else, brace for impact, MEEEEEN!"

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"Whoa!" Blues peered up at the airships going down, and the ship sailing in the ocean going down as well. So far, the ship containing Mermaid Heel and Quatro Cerberus was the only one still sailing! "The hell is going on up there?!" He turned to the others, though there was no answer.

"It looks like another part has decided to join the fray…" That was the only answer Kagura could give and she wasn't wrong about it.

"Whatever it is, it's not lookin' too wild right now!" Bacchus spoke with a frown on his lips. "Whoever these wise guys think they are, I'll show 'em a thing or two!"

"Is that right…?" Lucius' voice echoed throughout the ship as rose petals began to circle around the transportation. Soon, the pink haired male appeared with a sly grin tugging his lips. "You'd love to show us a thing or two?"

"Who the hell is this guy!?" Melody Sliver questioned while sliding into the maker stance.

"You have three seconds to tell us your name and your goals." Kagura's tone grew threatening as she increased the grip on her sword's handle. She was prepared to strike at any second if Lucius' answer was one she didn't care to hear.

"You may call me Lucius…" He replied with a slight hair flip. "As for my goals? I'm afraid I can't tell you that yet…" And right as he finished, Kagura sped forward aiming to slash her sheathed blade at his chest, but Lucius was fast so he evaded with elegance, sliding back a few feet while dusting off his white robe. "My, you're an impatient one, aren't you?" The pink haired male then snapped his fingers, creating a void in the middle of the ship. "Perhaps it would do you best to learn some manners while sinking to the bottom of the sea." The void began to tear the ship apart piece by piece at an alarming rate.

"Damn…!" Kagura grit her teeth before glancing back to the others.

"Kagura-chan…!" Miliiana whined.

"Have fun." Lucius winked before he took vanished in a flash of light.

"Leaving us to deal with water?!" Blues shouted with a wide grin before turning towards his friend and brother, Kuro Chi. "Leave this to the Dragon God Duo, eh?"

"Right…!" Kuro responded with a sheepish nod.

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Dhegensea sat on his throne, aware of everything that was going on around the isle's shores. A sly grin began to stretch along his lips while his head rested on his fist. "So, the humans have returned, have they? Fate said they would…now it's time to set the plan in motion. They won't be escaping a second time."

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Next Time: Crash Landing


	28. Chapter 27: Crash Landing

"I can hear it…" Cobra's eyes remained closed while standing on the deck of Crime Soricere's specially made ship. They were closing in on the isle just after the others were attacked.

"What happened?" Jellal asked while standing next to Cobra. "What were those lights in the distance?"

"One question at a time…" Cobra huffed with the slightest of annoyance. "A lot of things happened all at once…but to make things simple: the other ships were attacked by unknown assailants and crashed on the island…"

"Seriously!?" Meredy's eyes widened at the news. She grabbed Cobra by the shoulders and began shaking him comically. "Are they okay!?"

"Release me…!" Cobra hissed, pushing Meredy off him while dusting off his jacket. "Anyway, there are too many noises to judge exactly what's going on. I suggest you hurry this ship along so we can meet with Erza like we're supposed to."

"I guess we've no choice. Let's hurry…" Jellal nodded.

"Just leave it to me!" Angel was at the helm of this ship, giving a salute towards the others while playfully sticking her tongue out. "Captain Sorano is on it!"

"Are we sure it's a good idea to leave her as the captain…?" Ultear questioned with a comical sweat drop appearing on her forehead. She glanced between Racer and Hoteye, both of them giving a shrug. Midnight was sleeping as though nothing was wrong…it looked like some things just never changed after all.

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Siegrain placed his hand on a lacrima, activating the timer for the Etherion Cannon. Right now, it was 7:00AM. The timer was set to go off at 7:00PM, meaning the other guilds had only 12 hours to rescue those left behind and save the dragons on the isle. "Quite the tall order they've imposed on themselves…" Siegrain spoke with a soft chuckle, shaking his head. "I don't believe they'll be able to do everything in time…"

"Siegrain, sir!" Correll hurried into the room, panting softly.

"Ah, Correll, how are you feeling?" Siegrain questioned. "The revival process is still affecting your body, I assume?"

"Wha? Me? Oh please, I couldn't be better!" Correll grinned.

Layanna walked in after Correll, arms folded while glaring at the Captain. "He seems to be just fine, since he still mostly thinks with his pants instead of his head." Eyes rolled before handing Siegrain a few papers. "Here is the paperwork you requested, Siegrain-sama."

Chuckling, the Wizard Saint took the papers and nodded. "Thank you, Layanna."

"Has the countdown started?" Correll questioned while staring at the timer that was literally active.

"…It appears as though he's still a little slow on the uptake." Layanna remarked.

"They have approximately 12 hours to accomplish everything it is they need to do. I will give them no more time than that…if they can return before the cannon is fired, all the more to them. If not…they were warned."

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.

"Sir, you have a visitor…" Venoma bowed before Dhegensea. "And…the humans have indeed returned to the isle, Nasir has provoked them as requested…although some other humans have appeared to join the fray. It's a little sticky situation, having so many unwanted guests on the isle…" The purple haired female sighed while filing her nails.

"A visitor?" Dhegensea's brow quirked in interest. "Must be from the land of Fiore. Allow them in."

"Of course!" Venoma nodded and skipped towards the front doors, opening them up, thus allowing Master Draco to walk into the throne room. "Eh…? What are YOU doing here…? I wasn't informed it was you…"

"Nice to see you too, Venoma…" Draco gave a courteous nod before walking towards Dhegensea. "Dhegensea, it has been a long time."

"400 years to be precise…" Dhegensea remarked with a snide grin painted on his lips. "I'm glad to see you're well. How's that family of yours, Celestial Dragon? The wife? The two children?"

"They are well…" Draco nodded before a serious visage appeared on his expression. "Where are your children? I haven't seen them on this isle…and it is difficult to maneuver around mindless dragons…"

"Ah…Ena and Kurthnaga…" Dhegensea chuckled. "My two young dragonlings…they are being taken care of as we speak. They were quite confused by my motives so I've had to explain things to them very carefully. They were rather attached to the humans who came here…but enough about that. I doubt you've come to prattle on about our children. You wish to question me about my motives."

"Correct." Draco stopped just before Dhegensea, arms crossed. "Why? You used to abhor violence."

"Ah!" Dhegensea shook his head at Draco's statement. "Wrong. I only did what I did in the past because the scroll of fate said I would. You cannot go against fate. Everything happens for a reason in a set order, and I will rule over the humans."

"You're mad…" Draco grit his teeth before shaking his head. "Is there no way to talk you out of this nonsense? This isle was meant with the intention of peace, you built this isle. Can you not see the error of your ways? Please, before it is too late for the people here!"

"'Too late'?" Dhegensea's head tilted before a slow smirk began to stretch along his lips. "You mean before the Etherion Cannon launches to destroy this isle? Worry not, for my people will be off this island before the cannon fires…"

Draco's eyes widened as Dhegensea saw right through him. "How did you know about the…"

"Your time is up!" Venoma grabbed the Wizard Saint by his arm and used her massive strength to hurl him through the front doors. Draco quickly recovered and a yellow aura flared around his body, activating the Meteor Spell to hurry back towards the door. "And stay out!" Venoma threw her arms out, creating a large wall of highly dangerous toxins before the throne room.

Draco had to halt in place, just narrowly avoiding touching the dangerous walls. He backed away, dusting himself off with a slight "tch" escaping him. "This is bad…how do they know about the plan…and why did he seem so calm about it…?" The Wizard Saint shook his head. "I'll have to tell Siegrain about this…but I cannot endanger the lives of anyone else on here…" This was a sticky situation…

.

.

"Ugh…" Hisui sat up, slowly rubbing her head while looking around the crash site. "O-Ow…is everyone all right…?"

"I think…?" Lucy responded while just lying on the ground. "Nothing's broken at least…where are we…?" Now lifting her head up, Lucy could only see nothing but trees. They crash landed in the jungle.

"Somehow we landed where we wanted to…" Spade said whilst dusting himself off. "How is everyone?"

Wendy was still holding Cynthia, who merely let out a small groan in her unconscious state. "I'm fine…but Cynthia's still out cold…at least she's not burning up anymore…we really have to do something about her infection before…before…"

"Juvia is on it." Juvia immediately replied with a firm nod before suddenly latching on to Gray's shoulder. "And Gray-sama can help, right!?"

Gray's brows furrowed as Juvia suddenly latched onto him. He tried to pull her off but her grip was so tight he could feel the circulation being cut off in his arm. "H-Hey…lemme go!"

"We shouldn't be so rash…" Tia said while sitting on some rubble, tending to her ripped dress. "We're on their turf, and we know nothing about this island…we could be walking into a trap with any movement we make…"

"We need to find Ena first…" Erza seemed to have this goal in mind. "She can tell us what's going on and maybe a way to sneak past the dragons in the castle and lead us to the Mystic Water."

"Working in small groups does seem like a good idea…but we need to keep some people here. Cynthia can't move and we shouldn't take her into battle. Who knows what she might do in her condition…" Lucy said while placing the back of her hand on Cynthia's forehead. "She's still hot…"

"I'm staying." Wendy responded to Lucy.

"Alright then…" Ace spoke up. "Me, Tia, Jack, Spade, Diamond, and Heartless will stay here with Wendy, Cynthia, and Carla. We'll be able to fend off against anything that tries to attack us. Moving Cynthia doesn't seem like a good idea anyway in her condition."

"So that's one group…" Erza nodded before turning to the others. "Juvia, Gray…you two should come with me. We're going to find Ena…and you too, Mii…"

"Mii too?!" There was that pun again, causing everyone to groan.

"What about Natsu?" Lisanna questioned. "He left with Happy to chase Nasir...and Mira-nee…I refuse to believe she's…she's…"

Hisui intervened. "L-Let's just take things one step at a time…I still need to discuss with Dhegensea…"

"We don't have that much time left, we can't just dilly dally…" Bickslow narrowed his eyes under his mask while tapping his foot. The Raijinshu were still concerned with Laxus' wellbeing.

"Let's map out our plan…" Levy began. "First…we have Ace's group staying here to watch over Cynthia with Wendy, Erza's group is going for Ena…and the rest…we should probably search for Laxus and Mira…"

"There's also that group of bastards that ambushed us…" Gajeel remarked while slamming his fist into his palm. "Oh I really wanna pay that guy back…"

"It's safer to travel in numbers," Mii remarked while placing her arms behind her head. "We're too small a group to do anything huge. We'll get stomped flat if we try anything huge. I can only wonder how Natsu-san is holding up after blindly following Nasir…he might be dead by now…same could be said for those others, even though I tried my hardest to make sure they could at least hide."

"Don't say that!" Lucy immediately got in Mii's face at her comment. "They're stronger than you think…!"

"We're toying with dangerous creatures here, Lucy-chan," Mii remarked. "Dragons are strong. If we aren't careful we could be the next snack…what's with you people and ignoring realism?"

"We're well aware of the risks…" Erza responded. "But that doesn't mean we're going to abandon our comrades. I'm sure White Eclipse feels the same way…" Before anyone else could make another comment, Sabertooth, Blue Pegasus Mermaid Heel, Qautro Cerberus, White Eclipse and Lamia Scale appeared.

Sting happily waved to the others. "Oi, you guys are okay! I'm glad to see we all ended up in the same location…that landing could've been much smoother, just who were those guys…"

"We don't have time to worry about that now," Kagura remarked. "We'll worry about them when they arrive. For now, we need to form teams..."

"And we need to find our own," Selene remarked, though there was a slight frown on her lips. She couldn't detect anyone's scent throughout the jungle.

"Okay, okay…here's what we have…" Erza began explaining to people what the plan was.

.

.

Just on the beach shores of the isle…the Commandants of Pergrande's ship landed, and they all disembarked. Laura stretched while looking at the wreckage her comrades caused by attacking the others. "You guys are such assess. You couldn't let me join in on the fun? Geez."

"You call that fun?" Wes shook his head while placing his hands behind his head. "I call that reckless. I'm glad I wasn't asked to get involved, because I am totally not comfortable with that whatsoever."

"How are you a commandant again!?" Laura smacked Wes on the back of the head, causing him to cringe and recoil. "You're so lazy! I should take care of the test myself, god knows how capable you are of it…"

"You know that's not what the orders were," Brax said while leaning against the ship. "Wes will take care of our little hypothesis. It would be bad if you ended up taking another loss, hm?"

"Do NOT forget to give the results to me!" Xen ordered. "I need the data."

"You better get going, Wes," Lucius commented with a chuckle.

"Maaaaaaaan…" Wes sighed, head dropping low as he started to walk off. "Why do you people put me up to these tasks? You know I'm not the best one suited for it…"

.

.

Next Time: Onward! The Dragons Await.


	29. Chapter 28: Onward, The Dragons Await

Stationary Team:

Ace, Tia, Diamond, Jack, Spade, Wendy, Carla, Cynthia, Strong, and Daigo.

Mystic Water Team:

Erza, Mii, Juvia, Gray, Cana, Blues, Kuro, Aira, Hisui and Meredy.

Scouting Team:

Cobra, Midnight, Racer, Ultear, and Hoteye.

Search and Rescue Teams:

Lucy, Chelia, Draco, Sting, Rogue, Yukino, Raven, Kagura, and Selene.

Freed, Bickslow, Elfman, Evergreen, Lisanna, Gajeel, Levy, and Pantherlily.

Reve, Jaxon, Heather, Cygnus, Lyon, Melody, Hibiki, and Milliana.

Jellal.

Minerva, Rufus, Orga, Kuro, Waiston, Eve, Ren, Jenny, Yuka, and Toby.

With these teams set, they began their trek to complete their missions. Hopefully in the end they could all come together to defeat Dhegensea, but they were taking things one step at a time for now. Cana handed everyone communication cards in the event something terrible happened. With their forced crash landing, there was a gloomy feeling in the air. But for now…they could only do what they needed to. The Dragons were waiting.

.

.

As Erza's group traversed the jungle, Blues began thinking about what their mission was. "Mystic Water, huh…" Blues glanced in Juvia and Erza's direction. "You know, I think I've heard of that…it rings a bell for some reason…"

"Do you know anything about it!?" Juvia was quick to get in Blues' face about it with a hopeful gaze.

At Juvia's sudden reaction, the water dragon slayer shook his head. "Sorry…I just know the name. I don't even know why that is…maybe Aquaeron mentioned it to me? Can't remember."

"Ah…" Juvia sighed, shoulder hanging low after Blues' answer.

"Why are you so hung up on this water?" Mii questioned while placing her hands on her hips. "I mean yeah, it can help save the dragons. But we don't even know how to use it yet…"

"That's why we have three water mages I assume." Hisui responded. "All of pretty high caliber I might add."

Blues bashfully waved his hand at Hisui's compliment. "Please, you're flattering me, Your Highness."

"Don't forget, we're also looking for Ena," Erza made her remark.

"Oh right…maybe she can tell us what's really going on. She didn't look too pleased when Dhegensea began to attack us…" Aira spoke while cautiously looking around. She was hoping Leon would pop in to say hello, possibly chasing a butterfly or something. She was really hoping he, Luke, and Takeru were okay.

"In the mean time we also have to look for that idiot fireball…" Gray scoffed, hands sliding into his pockets. He couldn't believe Natsu was so rash as to challenge Nasir on his own despite the circumstances.

Cana took a swig from her flask, giving a slight shrug. "I'm sure he'll be fine. It's Natsu after all. These dragons better watch out for him." Her expression then turned slightly serious. "Although…I do hope Laxus and Mira are okay…I have a bad feeling about things…"

Once Cana made her remark, Mii swung her arm around Cana's shoulder, giving a wide grin. "Ah, don't be so doom and gloom! I'm sure they're okay…well, Laxus anyway. Mira probably got caught…" She quickly realized she wasn't making things any better so she just groped Cana before backing away. "Anyway! If they were dead, I'm sure we'd see a body by now or something, right? So maybe they're still kicking! Maybe barely, but…"

"I think it's best if you just remain quiet…" Meredy remarked with a sweat drop on her forehead. "You're kind of annoying…"

Kuro nodded in agreement. "Yeah…"

"Wow…tough crowd…" Mii shrugged before placing her arms behind her back. "You guys need to lighten up…"

Erza could see that Mii was honestly trying to lift the mood, so that brought a tiny smile to her lips. Perhaps Mii wasn't so bad after all…she just needed to work on her methods and the trust issues she gave everyone. "The effort is appreciated, Mii…but the 'clown' type doesn't suit you that well."

Mii blinked, genuinely caught off guard by Erza's remark. "C-Clown? I assure you, I'm not trying to make anyone feel better…" And as soon as she said that, she tripped on a rock and fell face first onto the ground with a splat. It caused everyone to let out a small chuckle. "…T-That means nothing…" The female quickly stood up, dusting off her miniskirt. "Let's just keep moving, yeah?!"

"I don't think she's that bad…" Erza thought to herself as Mii walked in front of everyone. "Although she needs a turn in the right direction…" Shaking her head, she continued onward. "But she still needs to prove herself first…"

.

.

"Man…" Jack scoffed, kicking over a stone. "Why'd she have to go and get sick! I wanted some action!"

"Hey, don't say that!" Wendy huffed while gently placing Cynthia down on a pillow, placing an ice pack Diamond made on her head. Even though she had faith in the others to complete their task, she was worried about Cynthia. "…It's not her fault Drake bit her…" Speaking of the bite, Cynthia's shirt made it hard to see the progress of the infection, so Wendy removed it. Her eyes widened and she found herself biting her lower lip as red scales continued to spread along her arm. It was slow… "Cynthia…" On instinct, Wendy placed her hands over Cynthia, a soft sea green light emitting from them.

"It's getting a little worse by the second…" Carla crossed her arms, keeping her gaze on Cynthia.

"What are you doing?" Tia asked while walking over to Wendy.

"I'm trying to slow the infection…it seemed to work before…" Wendy responded.

"You're doing it wrong…" Tia remarked, causing Wendy to turn with a confused expression. "Healing magic works well and good, but…you can't just use healing magic on the body itself. If there's a serious injury or infection like in Cynthia's case, you should really focus on that specific location. If you use it on the whole body, it actually has an adverse effect."

Upon hearing this information, both Wendy and Carla's eyes widened. "W-What…really…? I-I've been doing it wrong this whole time…?!" Wendy was about to panic, but Tia wasn't finished yet.

"No, not at all. I can tell you've been dealing with full body injuries so it's okay for now…but in the future this is something you should note." Tia nodded.

"How do you know so much about this?" Diamond spoke up with her hands on her hips.

"Oh, I guess I didn't tell you…" Tia began while rubbing the back of her neck awkwardly. "I'm training to be a nurse, after all. Since we don't have an actual healer, I figured at least one of us should have knowledge when other is being RECKLESS." Eyes cut towards Ace, who was obliviously keeping a lookout along with Spade. He didn't catch the message. She then turned to the unconscious Cynthia, shaking her head. "She's the same way….though she's more of a special case…" She was referring towards the end of their last major battle: the one against King, where Cynthia tanked a blow for Wendy that should've ended anyone else. "How durable is that little body of hers…"

Cynthia's eyes slowly opened, a slight smile appearing on her lips. "A-aheh…."

"Cynthia!" Wendy immediately gave her dear friend attention. "Are you okay!?"

"I…I feel really hot…on the inside…my shoulder is burning…and everything's fuzzy…" Cynthia admitted.

"Drake bit you, if you don't remember…" Carla explained. "We thought Wendy managed to halt the infection completely, but it turns out it's still affecting you. Erza's group has gone out to grab the Mystic Water which should stop your Dragonization."

"Talk about right to the point…" Diamond blinked.

Cynthia frowned, coughing slightly while resting her head back on the pillow. "Maybe that's why I feel this urge to tear at everything in sight bubbling up within me…" With a sigh, her gaze shifted to Wendy, where a soft smile appeared once again. "But when I look at Wendy…it all goes away…"

"If that's your way of saying I should stay…you don't have to worry, I wasn't planning on leaving…" Wendy responded with a soft smile while taking one of Cynthia's hands, giving it a slight squeeze. "You'll be okay, Cynthia."

"I know. You're here…" Cynthia responded.

"Those two are something else…" Heartless mumbled from afar. As her name implied, she was lacking a heart, so she couldn't quite wrap her head around emotions like love and friendship, even though she tried her best to. The pinkette merely scratched the top of her head and sighed.

.

.

"How thick is this jungle…" Hisui questioned while trudging alongside the others. No matter how much walking they did, it felt like they were making no progress in the long run. "I don't feel like we're going anywhere…"

Mii took this time to snake her arm around Hisui's shoulder, leaning against her with a suggestive grin. "You know, Princess, if you get tired, you can always ride on my back if you'd like~"

"A-Ah…" Hisui looked away, an awkward blush crossing her cheeks because of Mii's tone. "N-No…that's quite alright…I can still walk…"

Gray could only shake his head at Mii's attitude once again. "Don't be too much of a clown, now…we need you to take this seriously."

"I think she's trying to be friendly with everyone…" Aira suggested with a slight shrug. She couldn't really figure Mii out so that was her best suggestion.

"She's certainly a piece of work…" Cana let out a small sigh while taking a swig from her flask. It wasn't long before they reached a large wall, one that presumably blocked the way to the city.

Blues halted, eyes narrowing while glancing around. "Is this a dead end…?"

"Looks like it…" Meredy gave a slight nod before turning to Erza. "Do we turn around and look for another way? Or do we break down this wall?"

"No need!" Drake's voice echoed throughout the forest, causing everyone to get on guard. The male hopped on the top of a wall, several human sized dragons appearing beside him. "Because this is as far as you go!"

"Drake!" Erza, Gray, and Cana immediately exclaimed with disgust.

"What's with those dragons…?" Kuro questioned. "They're…smaller than I thought."

"It's a new little experiment I'm trying out!" Drake exclaimed while leaning forward with a wide grin on his face. "Smaller, though just as destructive as a normal sized dragon! Speaking of small dragons how's that little one doing? You know, that Cynthia girl. I'm sure she's a dragon by this point…"

"You bastard…" Gray clenched his hand into a tight fist at the mention of Cynthia.

"Juvia won't let Drake's bite turn Cynthia into a dragon! She's fine because Wendy is with her…but Juvia will find the Mystic Water and undo what you've done!" Juvia shouted towards Drake.

With Juvia's exclamation, Drake merely sighed and shook his head. "Everyone's after the Mystic Water, but it looks like you're actually aware of what it does. I guess there's Ena to blame for that, she always did have a big mouth…"

"Where is Ena!?" Erza demanded to know, which caused Drake to chuckle.

"Oh, you wanna know where Ena is…?" Drake's tone insinuated that he knew something about her whereabouts. "I don't think you need to worry about that…in fact, that's the last thing you need to worry about. You should be more concerned with yourselves. Isn't that right?"

"Who is he talking to…?" Meredy looked around at the others.

"Ay…" Mii sighed, taking a few steps forward before leaping onto the wall alongside Drake with Hisui in her arms. "He's right, you all have more to worry about than Ena."

"MII!?" Antoher act of betrayal by Mii!?"

"R-Release me…!?" Hisui squirmed in Mii's grip, but it didn't look like the red head had any intention of letting her go. "I knew you were grabby but this is entirely different!"

"Let her go, Mii…" Erza demanded, a frown crossing her lips while a sword materialized in her grip. "Don't do this."

"Aye aye…" Mii shrugged with a nonchalant tone. "Didn't you hear me before? I'm always on the winning side, Erza-san…"

.

.

Next Time: Mii, The Traitor.


	30. Chapter 29: Mii, The Tratior

"Mii, what kind of game is this!?" Erza exclaimed while the grip on her sword hilt tightened.

"This isn't a game, Erza~" Mii cooed while her grip on Hisui tightened, just to ensure the princess wouldn't be able to escape. "I'll be taking this lovely princess to the city, since she does wish to talk with Dhegensea after all~"

This was seriously happening again, Mii was double crossing them and now Hisui was wrapped right in the middle. "You've got one chance, Mii…" Erza spoke as her voice began shaking in anger. She was just starting to see the good in Mii, too. "You're not a bad person…"

Mii shook her head, fighting the small frown that was attempting to pull at her lips. "I'm certainly not a good person, I live in the darkness And like I said before, I'm siding with the winning team."

Drake let out a laugh after Mii finished speaking, slapping his knee due to the hilarity of it all. "Ah, you humans sure are a riot! I hope you realize that we've been one step ahead of you this entire time!"

"What's that supposed to mean?" Gray questioned shifting to his Ice Make position, keeping his eyes on Mii, Drake, and the small dragons beside them. "You can't know of our plan…that's impossible."

"Impossible he says!" Drake laughed once again. "You guys are slow with the uptake, aren't you? Must I spell it out for you slow humans?"

"Who told you to aim for the jungle?" Mii began to speak while frowning, mainly because Hisui was still struggling and didn't know when to quit. "That was me, yeah? Granted, the only thing I didn't account for when landing were those strange guys who attacked us, but everything seemed to work out anyway. I also contacted Dhegensea and told him about the little plan to blow up the island in a few hours~"

"W-What!?"

"You told him about the plan…!?" Aira couldn't help but raise her voice; even she was appalled by Mii's actions.

"Oh, don't worry…" Mii said with a slight grin. "Everything plans to be off the island long before the cannon fires!"

"We'll be finished with you before then…But right now, we're telling everyone about your traitorous acts, Mii!" Cana spoke while preparing to pull out the emergency contact card, only to find that it was missing. "W-What the…!?"

Mii held up the card between two fingers, a sly grin slowly appearing along her lips. "Oh, were you looking for this? I swiped it off you after coping a feel, the distraction seemed to work! Plus your boobs are big."

"No wonder I felt violated in more ways than one…" Cana brought her arms to her chest, blue lines wavering around her head.

"This situation isn't looking too good…" Kuro spoke while glancing to the others.

"It's not at all…" Gray admitted while sliding into his ice make position. "But it doesn't matter, because we're going to break through anyway."

"You really think so?!" Drake took a step forward, peering over the wall. "You're not the only one in a tight spot. As we speak, my experiments are likely running into your friends. Especially those camped over at the crash site!"

"I don't think you'll be doing much with this hostage situation!" Mii exclaimed. "You know, Your Highness…you're kinda light."

"R-release me…!" Hisui demanded. "Think about what you're doing…!"

"I've thought about it." Mii responded almost instantly, tone lowering. "But now, it's time for you to meet with Princess Ena, I'm sure she's missed you…" Before anything else could happen, several sharp icicles shot out towards both groups, causing them to take evasive actions. "Oi, oi! What the hell!?"

"That ice…" Gray's eyes narrowed while looking at the trees. He saw Xen briefly before the white robed male vanished into the trees. "That's the bastard who attacked us! Tch, get back here!" With that Gray rashly began to chase down Xen by heading into the trees.

Seeing Gray leave so suddenly caused Cana to turn. Too much was happening and they needed to stick together. "G-Gray, wait…!" The brunette instinctively began chasing after Gray.

"The hell is that guy trying to pull…!?" Mii grunted.

"Gray-sama!" Juvia was just about to follow Gray along with Cana, for more reasons than one, but…

Even though things were heading in a strange direction, Erza saw the opening to attack and didn't wish to waste it. "Now!"

"Oh no you don't!" Drake exclaimed while stomping on the wall, causing the ground underneath Erza, Aira, Blues, Kuro, Juvia, and Meredy to cave in on itself; all of them fell while letting out a scream. "You can't keep Princess Ena waiting, after all!"

Hisui continued to struggle in Mii's grip, eyes widening upon spotting the others fall into the ground. "N-No! Let me…go!" Suddenly, Hisui just brought her shoe harshly on Mii's boot.

"…!" Mii was more surprised by Hisui's violent action than anything else. So surprised she seemed to have a delayed reaction of some sort. "H-Hey…watch it…!" She shouted, releasing Hisui after her foot was stepped on and shoved her away.

"Oof…!" Hisui staggered back after being shoved away. She took a few steps back until she fell off the wall, landing on her back with a slight thud onto the ground.

"Oi, oi, don't let her get away!" Drake commanded one of the dragon soldiers by his side. One nodded and leapt onto the ground in front of the terrified Hisui. "Don't you wanna speak to the King? We'll take you right to him, I proooomise!" The grin on Drake's face heavily implied there were other plans for the Jade Princess.

Hisui crawled backwards, eyes wide in fear due to the situation she was in. "A-Ah…" She shook her head, steeling herself to defy Drake and his demands. "No. I will not follow you. I will see Dhegensea when I get there, not when one of his…underlings takes me there. There's no guarantee I'd even make it there in one place…"

"Oooh, the underling card!" Mii clapped, giggling at Hisui's choice of words. "Are you gonna take that, Drake?!"

Drake grit his teeth in annoyance at Hisui's words, they rubbed him the wrong way. "Are you…disrespecting me…I'll show you , little girl…what happens when you disrespect Drake! The Dragon Master!"

.

.

Wendy was busy comforting Cynthia when her ears perked. "Huh…?"

"I heard it too…" Cynthia struggled to speak, but Wendy shushed her to conserve strength.

"What's wrong?" Carla asked while glancing between the two of them.

"…I think we're surrounded…" Wendy spoke aloud to the others, causing them to turn.

"Surrounded…?" Diamond placed her hands on her hips while looking around. "But…I don't see anything…or hear anything."

"They're using the trees as cover…" Wendy continued while looking around. "I can hear their footsteps…the way they block the wind…they're just waiting for a time to strike…and we can't leave because Cynthia can't move too much…"

"I can move just fine…!" Cynthia protested. She was about to stand up but Wendy wasn't having it.

"She's not wrong…" Ace said while using his Acid Ace armor scanner to give the place a scan. "So many dragons lurking around, it's almost a little unnerving."

"There he goes, trying to play it cool…" Tia shook her head, though she secretly admired Ace for it. It's not like she cared about him too much or anything. "But how are we going to flush them out? If they're waiting that means there's a plan in motion that would put us at a disadvantage…"

Jack grinned as a golden light wrapped around his body. The young Dealer wizard entered his Corvus armor, holding a Wicked Flame within one open palm. "Just follow my lead, Sis. I got this one. Wicked…Blaze!" Jack threw the purple flame into the forest, causing an explosion that set the other trees ablaze. This was enough to flush out the 10 dragon soldiers hiding in the forest. "Found ya!"

"You can't just cause a forest fire!?" Tia's jaw dropped at Jack's idea; immediately, she brought out her scepter and unleashed a beam of water to douse the trees. "We had this talk, remember!"

"Well it looked like his plan worked!" Stong grinned while summoning forth his signature club. "Flushed 'em out real good!"

"Not bad, Jack…" Heartless remarked while drawing forth her deck of cards. "Now we have less to worry about. Though we're two dragon slayers short, I do believe we're more than capable of handling this task on our own."

"Of course…" Spade said with red and blue electricity dancing around his palms.

"I can still…" Cynthia was still trying, but Wendy really was not letting her move.

"You're burning up…you can hardly speak, and I know breathing is hard for you right now…" Wendy said while keeping her eyes on Cynthia. "I'm not leaving your side…and I'm not letting you do something risky again until you're better."

Tia waved her scepter around, letting out a small giggle. "You two are crazy…you guys just sit back and relax. Dealer can finally start to repay the favor we owe you from a few months ago. So trust us."

.

.

Kagura was acting as leader for one of the search and rescue team. Because of this, she took the lead for the others. Her arms were crossed and she was practically silent the entire trip through, causing everyone to feel a little on edge. Kagura turned over her shoulder to look at the others, raising a brow curiously. "What?"

"N-Nothing…!" Lucy waved her hands frantically, sweating a little bit since she was giving Kagura a strange look. "D-Don't turn me into sushi…"

"Kagura-sama isn't THAT intimidating, Lucy-sama…!" Yukino tried to ease Lucy's worries, yet she caught the cold glare from the Mermaid Ace, causing her to shiver. "W-Well…"

"Instead of focusing on how scary Kagura can be…" Selene began while cutting her eyes towards the two celestial mages. "We should be looking for our lost guild members. I can't smell anything…" The diamond slayer seemed relatively irritated by the fact her nose was little to no use.

Draco chuckled, brushing a hand through his white hair. "Don't worry, Selene. They're tough, they'll be fine."

"Luke-san is tough! So are Takeru and Leon," Sting said while patting Selene on the shoulder in a supportive motion. Though he just received a glare from Selene, she didn't like being touched. "E-Eheh…"

"Fro thinks so too…!" The adorable exceed just had to get that line in there.

"I agree…" Rogue merely nodded along with Lector.

"I wish Sorano would've come with us…" Yukino muttered, head hanging low. She never truly got to converse with Angel despite the fact they've seen each other on more than one occasion. "Is she avoiding me…?"

Lucy shook her head, patting Yukino's shoulder. "No, I don't think she is…well…maybe she's just not ready to confront you yet…?"

"Everyone's all over the place…" Raven sighed while bringing his arms behind his back. "I wish Jura was able to make it…but he said he wanted to do something at the port…" He then turned to Chelia, who had a serious expression on her face. "Yo, Chelia…you feeling all right?"

"Something isn't right…" Chelia replied while turning to Raven. "The wind took a slight shift…but I can't tell what it means. It's nothing good, though…" After she spoke, the small group ended up within a large clearing. Or rather…a clearing with debris spread all around, likely from the remains of a large building.

"Whoa, what happened here…!?" Sting was the first to say something, immediately going off to look at the debris. "Looks like there was a fight…"

"Not just any fight…" Rogue continued Sting's statement. "Something hectic happened around here…we must be out of the jungle and getting closer to the city. Perhaps one of the missing people came by this way…?"

Kagura then turned to Selene, who looked like she was focusing hard on the scent in the area. "What do you smell?"

"It smells familiar…but there are too many elements floating around for me to get a precise lock on who it is, or where they went." Selene responded with a slight huff. "All of these dragons are really messing up my nose…I can't focus on anything."

Kagura gave an understand nod. "I see…" She then placed her hand on the hilt of her blade, turning back towards the trees. "I know you're there. Stop hiding." Her words caused everyone to turn to the trees.

"Man…" Wes sighed, hopping out of the trees with his hands up.

"It's another guy in a white robe!" Sting pointed out. "He's not on our side."

Immediately, Kagura had the gravity around Wes increase tenfold, causing him to fall to his hands and knees. "Alright, tell us who you are and what your goal is. Otherwise I don't foresee this ending well for you."

"W-Whoa…whoa…!" Wes coughed, keeping his head low to the ground. "O-Okay…okay…listen, listen! I'm not here for you guys!" His head then lifted up, a wide grin plastered on his lips. "I'm here to look at her!" He managed to snap his fingers, causing spheres of water to appear around Kagura, Draco, Selene, Yukino, Raven, Chelia, Sting, Rogue, Lector, and Frosch. The effects of the water nearly rendered them unconscious, and those who weren't could only watch what was occurring now. Lucy was the only one left untouched.

"G-Guys!?" Lucy looked around at everyone trapped before turning back to Wes. "W-What the…!? Who are you!? What are you trying to do!? Let my friends go!"

Wes put up one hand, using the other to dig into his robe pocket. "Hold on…hold on…" He pulled out a small, strange looking whistle. "Just let me try this, okay? Thanks." He then blew on the whistle, but no noise came out. Was it busted?

Lucy kept her guard up while giving Wes a strange look. "What are you…" She started to question, but once Wes blew on the whistle her eyes widened. The celestial mage put her hands to her ears to block out the noise which started affecting her in a strange, yet painful way. "Ahhh! S-Stop that! K-Knock it off! What is that…!?"

Wes blinked at Lucy's reaction, putting the whistle away. "Huh…Xen said this would only work if Laura was right…so that means…you ARE a product of that traitor!"

"H-huh…?" Lucy slowly uncovered her ears, only becoming more and more confused by Wes' words. "Traitor? What are you talking about? I…"

Wes shook his head. "No, that's quite enough from YOU. I don't expect you to understand anyway…but if you do…you'd find it best to come along with me."

Lucy placed her hand on her key pouch, giving Wes that defiant glare. "Like hell! You talk a lot…but I don't think you can really fight, can you?"

"Whoa!" Wes cringed from the accusation. "That kind hurt…" He turned around for a second, pulling out the slip of paper given to him earlier. "If the subject does not respond…use force. Right…they really did pick the wrong dude for this one…" Slipping the paper back into his robe, he turned back to Lucy with a wide grin on his lips. "You can call me Wes, one of Pergrande's 13 Commandants! Just under the 4 Generals." Holding his hand up, water began to form above his palm before taking form as a blue guitar, which he began strumming gently once it was in his possession. "I've been ordered to hunt down the product of the traitor and take it in! So therefore…Lucy Heartfilia of Fairy Tail, you're under arrest!"

The last few words were really the only things Lucy needed to hear to confirm Wes as an enemy. Sliding into a battle ready stance, the celestial wizard pulled two keys out while glaring at the male before her. "Too bad I'm not letting you take me in!"

"That's what I like to hear!" Wes exclaimed while strumming his guitar. "Now then, let's just see…how well you can dance!"

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Next Time: Aquatic Symphony.


	31. Chapter 30: Aquatic Symphony

Countdown until Etherion Fires: 9 hours.

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"Ugh…" Erza groaned while pushing herself up from the ground, glancing up at the hole made above, she could tell by this that it was still daytime. They fell down quite the distance; it was a miracle if anyone came out unharmed… "Is everyone okay…?"

Blues held up a hand, waving it around as he pulled himself up. "I'm…alive…so I can say that much for now."

"Ditto…" Kuro coughed while sitting up.

"Cana went off with Gray-sama…" Juvia's mind began to wander, only imagine what those two could be doing now that they were alone…yeah, she was okay.

"How did we survive that fall?" Meredy questioned, rubbing her head while looking up. "That was quite a drop…oh my gosh! The Princess! She's still up there!"

"We have to hurry back up there!" Aira exclaimed.

Blues was about to say something in agreement, but he halted. Eyes narrowed while glancing in the darkness of the area surrounding them. "Wait a second…something else is in here. And it smells like a dragon."

"Company…?" Meredy tsked while sliding into a stance. Footsteps could be heard echoing throughout the underground passage, causing everyone to get on guard. A few moments passed and the owner of the footsteps was revealed. It was Ena! "Huh…who's that girl with the pink hair…"

"Ena!" Erza exclaimed, a smile appearing long her lips. She was more than happy to see Ena was okay! "I'm so glad you're…" Blues held his arm out to prevent Erza from moving. Titania's head turned towards Blues, confusing painting her features. "Blues? What are you doing? She's an ally."

"Are you sure?" Blues questioned while gesturing to Ena's eyes. There was a strange look to them…she looked like she was in a trance. "I'd second guess that thought for now if I were you."

"Erza-senpai…it's so nice to see you…" Ena's voice was low, but at the same time it had that unnatural happiness. Like one had when they were blasted with laughing gas, only without the laughing. "And you brought more friends…! I love it…this is so nice…I missed you…"

"I-Is she okay…?" Meredy glanced towards Erza who was on edge at Ena's new personality.

"Ena, what happened to you?" Erza asked while taking a cautious step forward. "What is Dhegensea trying to do? Where is he now?"

Ena took a step forward, causing everyone to take a step back. "Didn't you hear? He wants to rule over the humans…they were meant to be ruled over. He's sitting in his throne room, he hasn't left since you left…but now here we are...be nice, Erza-senpai…and come with meeee…" A pink aura began to appear around Ena as she steadily walked closer. "You can bring your friends, too…"

"She's not making any sense…" Aira turned to Erza. "What do we do…? I think she's been brainwashed by Drake…or maybe Dhegensea…and she wants a fight…"

Blues stepped forward, a blue aura surging around his body. "Let me take care of this. She is a dragon…"

Erza shook her head, standing in front of Blues as a heavenly light wrapped around her body. Once it faded, she was donning her Flight Armor. "I will be the one to break Ena free of whatever chains are binding her…I feel I must."

"Be careful, Erza-san…" Juvia cheered on Erza while the others took a step back.

"You're going to play, Erza-senpai?" Ena twisted her head.

Erza bent her knees, gripping both blades in her hands tightly. In the next instant she was off, the speed granted by the Flight Armor making her incredibly difficult to follow with the normal human eye. "Ena! I will break whatever hold is on you, because you're better than this!" Within a second, Erza dashed passed Ena while slashing at her abdomen. The slice cut through Ena's shirt, but that was about it. Erza turned, eyes narrowing at the lack of damage dealt. "Did that not do anything?"

"I've seen you fight, Erza-senpai…I know your tricks." Ena responded while turning around, grinning slightly. "My skin is much more durable than those blades of yours…~"

"Is that something you want to put to the test!?" Erza demanded while shifting once again before darting forward, holding both swords at her sides. "Sonic Claw!" All one could see was a blur while Erza aimed a series of furious slashes at various locations on Ena's body. Parts of her clothing were ripped to nothing from Erza's assault. At the end of it all, Erza slid past Ena while turning to see the outcome of her assault.

Ena dusted herself off with a small tch. "Come on, Erza-senpai…I thought you were smarter than that?"

Before Erza could make another move, her blades shattered; the red head's eyes widened in shock. "W-What!?"

"I told you, Erza-senpai…" Ena spoke with a grin stretching along her lips, pink hair beginning to waver in the wind created from it. "My dragon skin is special. Same goes for my brother Kurth…since we are direct descendants from Dhegensea, who holds the toughest dragon skin of all. If you can't break my skin, you won't be dealing that much damage, and there aren't many things that can break the hide of a black dragon…"

"Ah…" Erza grit her teeth at Ena's words while remaining slightly confused. Ena was a pink dragon…at least from what Erza saw from her wings earlier. Ena's genes must've been special…but she had no time to think about it.

"I can tell you're confused…my wings are pink. But…" Ena held one arm out, allowing black and red scales to form along her arm which eventually turned into a claw. "I'm a special breed."

"Erza watch out, she's about to move!" Meredy exclaimed.

Ena was off like a bullet, closing the distance between herself and Erza within mere seconds, while pulling her arm back, a black aura forming around her limb. "Black Dragon's…Claw!" She slashed Erza's side with incredible force, sending Erza flying back into a cavern wall with a yelp of pain.

"Erza!" Everyone cried out.

"And…" Inhaling, the dragon female gathered a strange mixture of black and red magic swirling around her lips. "Roar!" Throwing her head forward, a massive beam of black and red raced towards Erza at incredible speeds. Everyone else had to jump out of the way due to how fast and powerful the funnel traveled. BOOM! The roar exploded on Erza, who didn't make a single sound.

"Is she okay?!" Kuro questioned while looking towards the others.

And there was Juvia, sitting there with a slight smile on her lips. "That's a silly question to ask, Kuro-san…Erza-san is incredibly strong."

As the dust settled, Erza was seen using her Adamantine Armor to shield herself form Ena's roar. She felt the potency of the attack and knew Ena was a dangerous foe…but even still. "You're strong, Ena…I wonder why you're referring to me as Senpai, still…I think it's because you're still in there somewhere…" Another light washed Erza's body as she dashed forward; the Giant's Armor. Erza pulled her armored fist back while exclaiming; "And I WILL set you free!" In one motion, Erza slammed her fist against Ena's skull, the force more than enough to send the female flying backwards.

Ena flipped and caught herself, sliding across the rocky ground with a noticeable bruise on her cheek. "…I don't think you broke skin. But that really did hurt."

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Mii raised her hands as Drake prepared to pounce on Hisui. "Oi…! Take a joke! Lighten up! We're supposed to bring her back alive!"

"Dhegensea didn't say anything about bringing her back in more than one piece!" Drake responded before leaping off the wall to lunge at Hisui, who could only cringe at what she thought was going to occur. Only everything stopped as a breeze blew by, showing a single rose petal drifting in the wind. "Huh…?"

"I'm taking off your arm!" Drake exclaimed while thrusting a hand towards Hisui, only to halt once he collided with something else. "What the…?" He collided with a scythe, one that belong to one of the 13 Commandants of Pergrande: Lucius; his white robe and pink hair flowing handsomely in the breeze. "Who the hell…?"

Mii blinked, staring at Lucius curiously. "What the…"

"How concerning…" Lucius' voice was smooth and slick. It almost had both Hisui and Mii swooning. Almost. Lucius turned to look over his shoulder to look at Hisui while holding Drake at bay. "Princess, what are you doing wandering this dangerous island on your own? Don't you know how dangerous that is?"

"A-Ah…" Hisui had to compose herself. Lucius was just so handsome and she was still terrified and confused she could hardly figure out how to respond. "W-Who are…"

"You may call me Lucius," With one swipe, Lucius forced Drake backwards. "I'll be your protector."

"Hey, that's not fair!" Mii huffed while stomping her foot in a childish manner. "Why does the hot guy come to HER aid!?"

Drake regained his balance, growling due to the irritation building within him. "Ugh! You! Take care of him!" He pointed at one of his experimental soldiers. The soldier nodded and lunged towards Lucius with intent to kill.

"Brutal beasts…you'll never learn with mindless soldiers rushing down targets like this." Lucius shook his head whilst readying his scythe for the soldier coming his way. "Find peaceful rest in the afterlife…" Just before the solider could fully near, Lucius swung his scythe faster than anyone could see. In the same second, the soldier just…collapsed eyes white. There were no cuts on his body. Not a single mark.

"W-What the?!" Drake's eyes widened at this sight. "How the hell did he…!?"

"One shot…" Hisui muttered in amazement.

"He's dangerous…" Mii was serious again while examining Lucius. For some reason she felt like she'd met him before. "Let's get outta here. We can't risk watching your creations go down…plus I'm not in the mood for your temper tantrums…"

"Tch…" Drake scoffed while staring at Lucius. "Interesting human…we'll be back for you, Hisui." With that, Drake, Mii, and the rest of the soldiers left.

Hisui let out a sigh of relief, feeling her heart slow down. "Thank you for saving me…"

Lucius shook his head while his scythe dispersed into harmless rose petals. "You needn't thank me, Your Highness." He then extended his hand to her with a pretty smile. "Come with me, I'll escort you to the King of Dragons."

Hisui felt entranced by this man's appearance. It was an odd feeling, one she was not used to. She began to extend her hand but then halted after realizing something. "W-Wait…!" She pulled her hand back quickly. "I have to make sure Erza and the others are okay…and I have to warn the others about the betrayal!"

"Yes, I suppose it would be important to tell your comrades about this…" Lucius paused for a moment. "Allow me to escort you to them." By the way he was sounding…Hisui didn't have much of a choice…

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"Damn…" Gray huffed while leaning against a tree for support. "Icy bastard got away…"

"What were you thinkin'!?" Cana yelled at Gray, panting softly to catch her breath. "You can't just go running off like that! We were supposed to stay together!"

"S-Sorry…" Gray rubbed the back of his head. "I guess that idiot fireball's rubbed off on me…speaking of, still haven't seen him since he was being dumb. He better still be alive…"

"He'll be fine." Cana reassured before turning her head back in the direction they came. "What's more important is that we warn the others about that bitch and her second round of betrayal." Cana then began digging in her pants pocket before pulling out yet another card. "She thought she was clever by swiping the spare I had in my top, but I always keep a backup just in case people like getting handsy…"

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Lucy and Wes were in a stare down, neither of them making the first move just yet. Lucy was prepared to summon two spirits when the card in her possession started blaring loudly. "Huh?"

"Hey, what's that racket?!" Wes groaned.

Lucy pulled out the card which gave a hologram of Cana's person. "Attention everyone! Mii is a traitor! She's sided with Drake and the other dragons once again and is trying to kill us! If you run into her, do NOT treat her like a friend! She is a threat!"

"Mii betrayed us again!?" Lucy's jaw dropped at the news.

"Mii…?" Wes blinked, placing a hand on his chin. "Now where have I heard that name before…?"

"I knew she was up to something…" Lucy started going off, ignoring Wes in the process. "I can't believe she'd set us up like that…what is she trying to do, flipping sides like this!?"

Wes was beginning to grow annoyed that Lucy was ignoring him. He pulled out the whistle once again while glaring at the blonde. "Hey! I'm over here and I'm your opponent! Pay attention to me!" He blew on the whistle which made Lucy's eyes widened, the indescribable pain coursing through her body, resulting in a pained shriek.

"S-Stop that…!" Lucy cried out and Wes did stop. Lucy's eyes flashed a crimson shade for a few seconds unbeknownst to her, but Wes seemed to notice. "Ugh…what is that whistle…"

Wes put the whistle away, strumming his guitar gently now that he had Lucy's attention. "Now that we're back on track…let's see how well you dance!" Wes strummed his guitar; while there was obvious sound that was not the attack. The real attack were the spears of water emitting from his rhythmic tune, shooting towards Lucy in what she perceived to be an awkward manner.

"Eh!?" Lucy hardly had any time to recuperate from the whistle. She quickly shifted her body to the side, the spears of water cutting her sides and legs, causing her to let out a slight hiss of pain. "This water…"

"Dance!" Wes threw his body forward while strumming a single chord on the guitar, causing a pillar of water to rise from Lucy's location, sending her spiraling into the air with a pained yelp.

Lucy hit the ground with a thud, groaning while picking herself up. She was practically drenched but shook it off and held up the two keys. "Gate of the Lion! Gate of the Maiden, I open thee! Leo! Virgo!" Three flashes of light occurred along with a bell chime; Loke and Virgo were summoned while Lucy changed into Star Dress: Leo.

"I'm here, Princess! Is it punishment time!?" Virgo questioned. "…Against an opponent like this? This truly is punishment."

"Ay…" Loke said while adjusting his tie. "This looks like a sticky situation…" He glanced at everyone trapped within the spheres of water, a serious expression crossing his visage while turning back to Wes. "Hurting the nakama of my friend and owner…that's something I can't take lightly." He was speaking out of anger, but just like Virgo, he could sense the power Wes held.

"Oh?" Wes looked intrigued by Lucy's summoning and her star dress. This caused a grin to cross his lips. "Wow! Now you're properly outfitted to ROCK! Let's jive!"

Loke adjusted the cuff on his wrist while a light surrounded his fist. "Let's show him what the Celestial Spirits are made of." With that, Loke was off in a sprint while rearing his arm back. "Regulas…IMPACT!" Thrusting his arm forward, his fist slammed against Wes' cheek, causing the male to stagger back.

Lucy reared her leg back with light surrounding it, Virgo right beside her while mimicking the action. "Lucy…KICK!" Lucy swung her leg in time with Virgo, the two managing to kick Wes right in the chest, their power more than enough to send Wes flying back quite the distance. "Nice Virgo!"

"Wah…!" Wes cried out briefly before a smirk crossed his lips. Quickly flipping, Wes shifted his momentum and lunged forward towards the trio, sharp pillars of water rapidly erupting behind him in a stream line. "Come on, feel the beat!" He exclaimed while cutting through Lucy, Loke, and Virgo in one attack, sending them tumbling violently to the sides. "Can't you rock!?" Strumming a few more chords, a large pillar of water erupted from the ground, beginning to increase in volume.

"I will not allow it!" Virgo exclaimed while beginning to dig into the ground. This caused the pillar of water to drop down into what became a large crater, keeping everyone safe and dry.

"Trying to ruin my flow!?" Wes merely smirked at Virgo's intervention. "Alright, it's time to change up the tune a little bit!" Wes' guitar levitated in front of him and he began to strum it with both hands, creating a soft, gentle tune as he entered the zone. "Dance water dance!" From his very being, 10 clones of water strumming guitars began to form, spreading out all over the place.

"What the…?" Loke stayed close to Virgo and Lucy. "Clones of water?"

"He's not moving…" Lucy nodded to herself and took the initiative, sprinting forward while pulling her fist back, allowing light to form around it. "Regulas…IMPACT!" Lucy put all of her physical might into the punch, but a barrier of water appeared around Wes the moment impact was to be made. Lucy found herself flung back from the force of the barrier, landing harshly on her back. "Ugh…! What the…?"

Virgo glanced around at the clones; they didn't make a single aggressive move. "Princess! I believe we have to destroy these clones first! Though it is strange they aren't fighting back…"

"That makes them an easy target!" Loke exclaimed while throwing his fist towards one. A direct hit, but what occurred next was unexpected. The clone of water turned into a musical note, violently slashing at Loke before he had any time to react. "…!" Loke's eyes widened as he was nearly cut in half from the blow. He fell to a knee, gasping heavily for air. "D-Damn…"

"Leo-san!" Virgo was quick to race to her brother, crouching down to see if he was okay.

Lucy glanced around, noticing that there was a small timer above Wes' head. There were ten seconds left and she didn't want to find out what happened if time ran out. Things didn't help that Wes' tune started to become more aggressive, beginning to turn into musical notes to slash at her, Loke, and Virgo. Each slash made Lucy feel like she was being cut into deeply, electing a pained cry from all of them. Lucy was on a knee, but she quickly stood up as another light washed around her being. "Star Dress: Sagittarius!" Once the light faded and she was revealed in the star dress, the celestial blond pointed her bow and arrow into the air, pulling the bowstring back whilst exclaiming, "Falling Stars!" Unleashing the string, a singular arrow flew into the air, only to fall back down into multiple arrows that scattered on the ground. The low numbers of water clones were unable to stand against the high number of falling arrows.

The second the last clone dispersed, Wes snapped out of his trance, holding his head in agony. "Agh…! A tune out…"

"Now!" Lucy pulled the bow string back once again while taking direct aim at Wes. "Break on through! Get out of here, this concert is OVER!" Several arrows were unleashed, all of them aiming to converge on Wes from all angles. Since he was in a daze, all of the arrows hit their mark and Wes was sent flying backwards. "Ah…" Lucy started panting heavily. Having two spirits out, and using two star dresses was starting to take a toll on her.

"She's using too much magic…at this rate…" Loke realized the situation rather quickly.

"Princess!" Virgo called out. "You must close the gat-"

Before Virgo could finish, a pillar of water exploded just in front of her, causing her to jump back. Several pillars of water began erupting violently within the crater Virgo created. Wes was dancing along with his guitar still in hand, practically unfazed from Lucy's assault of arrows. "The snow may be over, but I hear the crowd asking for an encore! NOW DANCE!" Another, high pitched strum was taken, causing the pillars of water to spread out and grow in size and power.

"Ah!" Lucy cried out as the area began to flood. She swam around while getting tossed by the current, trying to reach Virgo and Loke. Once realizing that it was too late for that, she realized she had to call someone else to help in this fray, no matter how awful the result could be. "Gate of the-!" Before Lucy could finish she was swallowed whole by another pillar of water. Lucy, Loke, and Virgo were all trapped within the watery prison Wes was standing atop of as the warden.

"Ah…That was quite the concert…" Wes grinned while dusting his hands off. "You put up a bit of a fight, that's for sure…but now I gotta take you in." As he spoke, the water levels drastically began to drop rapidly. "W-What…Huh!?" The water was funneling into a jar, Aquarius' jar to be precise. Aquarius had her other arm wrapped around Lucy, who was coughing from almost having drowned. "Who's this stage hog?!"

"Stage hog?" Aqaurius stared at Wes with disdain. "Your noise is atrocious, my ears are bleeding just from listening to you talk. And the way you use water is absolutely deplorable…"

"Three gates…!?" Loke gasped, mixed with his pants for air.

"Princess…" Virgo shook her head. "You mustn't!"

"Stupid girl…" Aquarius shook her head while staring at Lucy. "You can't possibly…"

"If it's to save everyone…" Lucy stood up shakily, knees quivering due to how weak she felt. "I won't give up! He has them all at risk…and he hurt you guys…so I won't give in so easily!" She then glared at Wes with her spirits behind her. "You're not taking me anywhere…you said there was an encore, right? Well let me show you how a Celestial Spirit Mage rocks…"

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Dhegensea stood out on the balcony, staring out into the island, primarily near the jungle. He could feel the vibrations in the earth from all of the fighting occurring, which brought a slight grin to his lips. "So they've begun to clash at last…"

"Just how you said they would, Dhegensea sir~" Venoma cooed. "It was rather devious of you to send Ena in like that against the human she adores so much. Do you really think she'll tear them to shreds?"

"She's a special dragon…" Dhegensea nodded slowly. "Along with my Dragon Manipulation, she will be unable to resist my control. She will slaughter her dear Erza-senpai and any other humans along with her. As for those other humans quarreling with Drake's experiments…I believe it's time to unveil a little secret…" The sun was high in the sky by this point, causing Dhegensea's grin to widen. "It's bright out. The sun is shining…it's only a matter of time until Etherion fires, but we're still in the clear. It'll all be according to plan as fate wrote…but I believe it's time to give these humans a taste…of everlasting darkness."

"You won't…!" Venoma's eyes sparkled at those words. "No, wait…please do! I've been bored sitting around doing nothing! Let me join the fray!"

"You'll have your time soon, Venoma…" Dhegensea responded while spreading his arms out, a dark aura forming around his being. "It is time…for Night Tide." A veil of darkness slowly began to shroud the entire island, blocking out the sun and making it nearly pitch black on the island. Night Tide was a support spell for dragons, giving them an incredible buff in every aspect: strength, speed, defense, endurance, everything. "Now…my dragons. Go…destroy everything within Night Tide! Tear the humans apart limb by limb!"

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Next Time: Night Tide!


	32. Chapter 31: Night Tide

Mii stared at the darkness shrouding the isle, watching as the sun's rays were blocked. She could hardly see a thing! "Whoa…!" Mii exclaimed, nearly causing Drake to jump. "When did it get so dark out? Is it nap time already?"

Drake groaned in annoyance, rubbing the back of his head with an irritated sigh. "No you idiot. This is Night Tide…a spell that only the king himself can use. It cloaks the area in an everlasting darkness that only us Dragons can see through without difficultly…while boosting every attribute of a dragon…oh man, I can feel the power RUSHING through me right now. Why did that white cloaked human have to interfere!? I have the urge to TEAR something apart right now!"

Mii patted Drake on the back with a nonchalant shrug. "Right, well if you want to tear something apart why don't you hurry up and get moving to the castle so we can report to Dhegensea?"

In that instant, Drake's hand with around Mii's throat, and he lifted her into the air with a glare. "Listen up, Mii. You're NOT in the position to boss me around. You were our spy and nothing more, don't get the idea that you're in command here."

Mii stared at Drake with a quirked brow, hands obviously making way to his. "You're not so threatening, Drake…if you wanted to choke me out you would've by now. Meaning you know just how important I am. After all, I'm the Chosen, aren't I~?"

"Tch…" Drake dropped Mii and dusted his hand off. "Let's just get moving."

"Oooooh Draky, I need you to be my guide, I can't see in this overwhelming darkness. I need someone to lead the waaay~" Mii's cooed while wrapping her arms around Drake's arm, giving an irritatingly sweet smile.

"Don't push your luck dammit!" Drake exclaimed while the soldiers just stared blankly at the sight.

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At the crash site, Dealer's attempts at fending off the few dragons suddenly came to a halt with the darkening sky. Tia looked around with widened eyes, worried the instant she lost sight of everyone. "A-Ace…!? Jack!?" After she shouted, a dragon flew by and slashed at her side, cutting through her armor and created a gash. "Agh!" Tia fell to a knee, biting her lip to keep from crying out in pain. "I-I can't see anything…"

"But they can see us…!?" Diamond grunted while staring around in the darkness. Something was screaming at her to duck, and she did. A massive wave of what she assumed to be fire flew right over her head, singing some of her cyan hair. "Eep…!"

"How are we supposed to fight if we can't see!?" Strong exclaimed while just swinging his club around blindly. Surprisingly, he managed to hit a dragon and it flew into a tree, which collapsed right on top of it. "Hey I hit something!" And then Strong was hit and he collapsed right on the ground with a minor earth shaking thud.

"Strong!?" Spade shouted. "Damn…! This is tactically bad for us…not only can't we see, but I think they've gotten stronger as well!"

"Okay big shot, what do we do?" Jack asked Ace for advice.

Ace still had his scanner. While he couldn't exactly SEE the dragons, he could see their locations. "Okay, follow my lead!" Ace got several locked on before swiping his arm out. "Stealth Laser!" From his armor's wings, multiple beams of lightning shot out towards the dragons. Most of them evaded while a few of them were locked in place, and Ace focused on those who failed to escape. "Tia, Diamond! 2 o'clock! Jack, Heartless! 5!"

Tia and Diamond nodded, turning in one direction with respective magic at the ready. They were preparing for a Unison Raid. "Ice Water!" The two females exclaimed in unison. Tia swung her scepter forward, creating a whirlpool of water that surrounded a stunned dragon. Diamond followed up with a beam of ice that froze the whirlpool and encased the dragon before exploding violently.

"Wicked…Burst!" Jack swiped his hand horizontally, creating a line of purple flames around the dragon.

Heartless aimed her hand up, a pink energy radiating off her being. "Heart Stamp!" A seal appeared above the dragon, unleashing a gigantic heart that flattened the dragon soldier, just as Jack's Wicked Flames exploded in a vicious violet blaze. Of course no one could actually see if their actions were successful, but from the pained roars they were certainly making progress.

"Two down! Eight to go…" Ace spoke with optimism, but he knew he couldn't keep carrying them like this. If he was preoccupied there was no way he could tell the others what to look out for, he knew this, and the enemies were beginning to catch on as well.

Carla kept close to Wendy and Cynthia, but Cynthia's constant groaning had her worrying. "W-Wendy, what's going on with Cynthia!?"

"I-I don't know!" Wendy had a tight grip on Cynthia as she trashed around wildly whilst groaning. Cynthia was burning up again but Wendy refused to let her go in fear of what might happen. "She's been trashing around since the darkness came around…she's growling too, and her magic is rising to unhealthy levels…Cynthia what's wrong!?"

"T-That feeling…I have to…tear at something…" Cynthia struggled to speak.

"This darkness seems to only be affecting the dragons…and since Cynthia is infected…" Spade's deduction was enough to put fear in Wendy's heart for she knew exactly what he was going to say next.

"We can't fight and defend at the same time…not in this darkness!" Heartless groaned.

"Wendy….let me go…" Cynthia stared at Wendy. Even in the darkness the two could make each other out. Cynthia had that expression that said she was about to do something; Wendy usually had a slight dislike for that expression. It meant she was about to put herself in danger…and at the same time that danger was going to get them out of this situation. "…Please…."

"Okay…" Wendy nodded slowly, releasing Cynthia.

"Mmm…" Cynthia slowly stood up, teetering back and forth. She had so much magic building up within her and she needed to release it. "HAAAAAAAA!" With a shout that almost mimicked a small roar, a bright column of red flames erupted from around Cynthia. Though it wasn't enough to break through Night Tide, it was enough to light the area for her allies. A much needed candle in the veil of darkness.

Wendy's eyes widened at what Cynthia was doing. "Cynthia…"

"Hey, I can see now!" Strong grinned just as a solider attempted to attack him from behind. With speed someone of his stature shouldn't have, he turned while raising his club, slamming it on the head of the solider with such force a crater a few meters deep formed. "Oh yeah! Club Strong is back baby!"

Spade had blue and red lightning sparking around his body while staring down a soldier, a grin stretching along his lips thanks to the visibility Cynthia was providing. "This is perfect…now I can see exactly what I'm going to put you through!" Spade clapped his hands together, creating a blue and red sphere of lightning. "Lightning Strike!" Throwing his hands down, the sphere of lightning rushed towards the soldier, frying them instantly. The strength was enough to take it down even with the Night Tide boost. In the end, these solider were merely experiments so it was no surprise they were going down so easily…

"You're in my sights now…" Ace grinned at two dragons standing side by side. They were sweating nervously as the tables inexplicably turned. "You're not getting away…" The wings on Ace's back spread out, and in the next instant the Dealer ace moved forward, cutting through both dragons with incredible speed and force. "Wingblade." The two dragons collapsed after Ace spoke. "Six down, four to go."

"Ngh…" Cynthia collapsed while the flames around her fading away. She removed the excess magic in her system, but the darkness returned.

Wendy caught Cynthia once again, letting out a sigh of relief. The fever dropped but something about Cynthia seemed different after that massive discharge of magic. "Cynthia…"

"Don't worry; we'll take care of the rest…" Ace said with a firm nod, though it couldn't be seen. "Just take care of Cynthia."

.

.

"Can you see anything, Hoteye?" Ultear asked.

"Mmm…Nope!" Hoteye exclaimed with positively, causing everyone to practically collapse. "This darkness…it's much too thick for my eye to even hope to see through…"

"Even so, I can hear it all…" Cobra spoke with a slightly annoyed huff. "Everyone's fighting, and having trouble in some of their fights because of this darkness. The dragons are growing stronger while bathing in his darkness, courtesy of Dhegensea himself. If we don't find a way to break through this, we're all as good as dead."

"I live in the darkness…" Midnight spoke quietly, presumably yawning since he was about to fall asleep any second now. "I won't fall in my own element…"

"That's not the important part right now…" Angel said while letting out a huff. "We're trapped…we played right into their hands, and that Mii didn't help us one bit. I knew we shouldn't have trusted her. Why didn't you say anything, Erik?!"

Cobra remained silent. Angel did ask a good question: since Cobra could hear people's thoughts, why didn't he forewarn everyone about her betrayal? "Simple." Cobra began. "It wasn't in her thoughts at the time. I'm surprised you'd honestly think I wouldn't have read her thoughts when I saw her, but I'm more surprised her thoughts betrayed my ears. If she was planning on betraying everyone from the beginning once we regrouped, I would've heard it no problem…but there was something else on her mind instead."

"And that was…?" Racer urged Cobra along in hopes he'd speak faster.

Cobra opened his mouth but stopped. He heard light footsteps coming from presumably a long distance away. "Be on guard. Dragons of Drake are heading this way. I can tell because their thoughts are blank minus the one of Drake…"

"Great, company in this darkness…" Angel rolled her eyes in annoyance. "…I hope you're okay, sister…" Was her muttered thought.

.

.

"This darkness…" Jellal stopped in place, taking cover behind what he thought to be a tree. His attempts to light the way were slightly successful. A flame appeared in his hand, giving him some light to his immediate surroundings, but that was it. "I can hardly see anything, yet it's suffocating me at the same time. The Black Dragon King truly is something to be feared if he can produce something like this on a whim…I must hurry."

.

.

Laura was sitting within the Commandant's ship which was lit on the inside. She was busy filing her nails until she took a glance outside, eyes widening as she saw nothing but pitch black darkness. "Whoa, wait a second…when the hell did it get so dark out?!"

"Wha?" Brax tilted his head in confusion, taking a gander out the window only to see what Laura was referring to. "How about that…? It's night time already…"

Lex shook his head. "Try again. I believe this is a spell being used by the Dragon King to manipulate darkness. The sheer power I feel coming from outside is unlike anything I've ever felt before…"

"Well ain't that something…?" Brax chuckled while staring out the window. "I hope Wes, Lucius, and Xen come back before their bed time hits." His comment brought forth an obnoxious snort from Laura, who turned away almost immediately after it happened.

"Shut up." Was Laura's response, obviously embarrassed that she snorted in front of everyone. "I hope Wes gets back here soon with that blonde alive. I'd love to give her a piece of my mind for what she did to me!"

.

.

Reve's team was fairing no better than the others. Just like them, dragons were attacking from the darkness and it was impossible to see where friends and foes alike. All everyone could hear was either the shouting others, explosions, the other sounds of battle. Reve was among those who were fine despite the darkness, his Thermal Vision provided him with slight sight, though he was irritated he could hardly see anything even with this. "This is stupid…!" Reve exclaimed while firing off a few shots in the dark, but from the looks of it they missed.

"Nyah! I can hardly see anything…!" Milliana complained worriedly while using her ears to listen out for enemy attacks. Good thing, too, since she was one second away from being a clawed kitty had she not swiftly evaded to the side from a crushing blow.

"Where did this darkness come from!?" Cygnus questioned.

"Good question, Cyg…" Jaxon spoke. "It's really cramping my style, I think we need to get a little sun in here!" With this exclamation, multiple bright spheres resembling the sun appeared in various locations. While they in no means brightened the area, it gave the others a location on where the enemy dragons were. "How's that?"

"Excellent work, Jaxon-san. Quite handsome if I do say so myself~" That was Hibiki's remark somewhere in the darkness. You could tell where he was because of the sparkles gleaming off his being.

"Shut up and fight!" Melody scowled unseen in the darkness before shifting into the maker position. "Sliver Make: Warrior's Fist!" A sliver magic seal appeared before the female; throwing her fist forward, the seal shattered, unleashing a gigantic fist composed of pure silver towards one of the moving suns. A crash could be heard as the sun she aimed at flew backwards quite the distance. "I think I hit it…"

"Keep moving." Heather suggested while turning on her heel, one hand placed forward as a magenta seal formed on her palm. "Poison Dragon's Scales." Multiple scales of poison flew out from the seal, aimed at a few of the suns. Unfortunately for Heather, the dragons she aimed at managed to evade with little difficulty. "Bastards…"

"We need to do something about this darkness…" Lyon grunted.

"These dragons are something else…" Cygnus groaned whilst rolling his eyes. "Guess I'll just have to deliver the good ol' Gwydion beat down while blind…first time for everything, right?"

.

.

Minerva's team was fairing no better than Reve's team. They were all struggling within the Night Tide while the dragons were basically using them for above average target practice. Minerva was beginning to get pissed off that she couldn't see and that she wasn't hitting anything, but some things were hitting her. "Tch! This is getting incredibly irritating!"

"You're telling me…" Waiston shouted back while using his heightened senses to his advantages. He shifted to the left, though he could feel the claw of the dragon cut his shirt. "You're not getting away from me!" Ice covered the dragon slayers foot; he then swung it towards his target. What he expected to be a direct hit was nothing but a whiff as he hit the air. "Wha…!?"

Kuro could hear his comrade's distressed exclamation. "Waiston, are you okay!?"

Rufus was calm and collected even within the darkness. He had an idea, and he could only hope that it would work. "Allow me to take care of this one…" Placing his fingers on his temples, a red magic seal appeared behind him. "Memory Make: Night of the Falling Stars." Several 'stars' appeared behind the memory maker, launching off while tracking those who were not friends. The stars crashed in various locations however it was unknown if any of them were direct hits. "Did it work…?"

"Not even close," Waiston grunted. "These things…they're on a whole 'nother level…"

.

.

"This darkness isn't manly!" Elfman shouted as if anyone else would hear him. That's when Lisanna slapped her hand over his mouth…though it took a few tries so she just ended up slapping him in the face a few times.

"Sssssh, Elf-nii…!" Lisanna scolded.

"Hyaha…hey, who turned out the lights?" Bickslow questioned. "This ain't right; the sun was just shining a few minutes ago! It can't be night time already."

"It's not night time…" Levy explained. "This darkness isn't natural, it's artificial. I can only suspect that Dhegensea is the only one capable of creating darkness such as this…"

"That old lizard is starting to show some of his tricks, huh…?" This realization only made Gajeel grin. "Gihehe…I say we sneak past the dragons and head for the castle right away! They won't be able to see us in this darkness!"

"Don't be an idiot," Freed scoffed at Gajeel's idea, causing an annoyed tick mark to form on the iron dragon's forehead. "Dhegensea made this darkness…which only means that the dragons can see through it without any difficultly…and if that's the case, then everyone else is in serious danger."

"Do you think there's a way we can break through?" Evergreen asked with some concern.

"If there is something we can do…we better find a way fast." Levy held her hand to her chest, letting out a weighted sigh. "Lu-chan…please be okay…"

.

.

"Oi…!" Blues pointed up at the hole they crashed from. It was pitch black, though unlike the others outside he could at least see due to the dimness of the cave. "Something's happening up there!"

"It's getting darker…?" Meredy tilted her head. "It's not night time, is it?"

Erza, in her Flame Empress Armor, slid back after blocking a punch from Ena. Her eyes widened as the strength of the blow was much stronger than that of one's prior. She tilted her head while staring at Ena, who wore a knowing smile on her lips. "What's going on…? Ena's punch…it was much stronger than it was a few moments ago…"

"Confused, are we?" Ena giggled at Erza's expression before glancing up at the darkened sky above. "It's rather simple, actually…My father has begun to implement his magic…this is one of my favorite spells of his, Night Tide. This creates an impenetrable cloak of darkness around a given area…not only that, but only us dragons can see through this darkness. There's also one little surprise to it as well…"

"Another surprise…" Erza readied her sword as Ena started to sprouted her pink wings from her back.

"Can you see it…?" Ena bent her knees before rocketing forward; as soon as she took off the completely obliterated the ground where she once stood in her wake. Within a heartbeat she was already behind Erza. "I hope you didn't blink."

Erza was frozen in place as she tried to register Ena's movement; before she could even do that, her armor fell apart and the sharpest pain shooting through her entire body. Eyes widened before she let out a shout of pain and collapsed to her hands and knees. "Agh…! M-My body…!"

Meanwhile, the others were staring in pure shock at what just occurred. "W-Wha…" Juvia's eyes were wide in disbelief. "J-Juvia didn't even see Ena-san move…!"

"I wasn't blinking and I still didn't catch that…" Blues' eyes narrowed, beginning to sweat as he realized exactly what it was they were up against when it came to these more important dragons. "This isn't good…"

Erza's body was shaking as she brought herself up once again. "Her wings cut through my armor like nothing…" She thought before another light surrounded her body; her plan was to enter another suit of armor, but before Erza's requip could even finish, Ena was upon her once again.

"I don't think so, Erza-Senpai!" Ena cooed while her clawed hand gripped the back of Erza's head, slamming her harshly into the ground. As a result, the requip was canceled and Erza let out a muffled cry of pain into the dirty. "I wanted to have a little more fun with you first, hehe…~"

"She stopped Erza's requip!?" Aira was more than convinced Ena was one of the most dangerous things on the island with that kind of speed.

"W-What do we do!?" Kuro asked while looking towards everyone else.

"We have to help her!" Blues exclaimed before taking a step forward, cheeks inflating. "Blue Dragon's…Roar!" Throwing his head forward, a large torrent of scalding how water raced towards Ena, whose back was turned due to dealing with Erza.

Ena reacted as soon as she heard the torrent of water coming her way. She shielded herself with one wing, growling in annoyance while turning to look over her shoulder at the Water Dragon. "Dragon Slayer….would you mind? I'm having quality time with Erza-senpai…I'll come play with you when I'm finished with her…" Even though Blues did little to no damage, he did manage to take Ena's mind off Erza. Another glow appeared around Titania, entering her Lightning Empress Armor. "Huh…?"

"HYAH!" Erza turned and stabbed the tip of her spear into Ena's chest, unleashing a potent blast of lightning strong enough to blow Ena away. Afterwards, Ena was on a knee, using her spear as support to stand. "Agh…"

Ena slid back across the ground, shaking her head as sparks danced around her body. There was now a large hole in her shirt and a burn mark along her skin. "Mph…" Ena groaned in discomfort while shaking off the impact. "You little sneak…~!"

"Don't tell me that didn't do anything either!" Meredy gulped.

"That one actually stung…" Ena admitted while standing up, shaking her head with a slight groan. "I'm not surprised Erza-senpai would be able to pull something like that off…I guess that just means this will be more fun to slaughter you~"

.

.

Dhegensea could see everything going on within the darkness and because of this a grin stretched along his lips. "Excellent. Things are going exactly as fate said. I just needed to step in to ensure things stayed on course." Scanning the island, he noticed an irregularity within Night Tide. Something that was there that shouldn't have been. There was light somewhere near the jungle. "What…what is that light…?"

Upon hearing Dhegensea's confusion, Venoma waltzed forward while peering over the balcony. "Light? In Night Tide? Impossible!"

"This will never do…" Dhegensea shook his head before snapping his fingers. "Eizen, Edna. Enter." As soon as he finished speaking, two figures walked in. One was a male who had had a regal appearance, silver hair and eyes along with a slim yet ripped stature. This was Eizen, the Sliver Dragon. Alongside him was Edna, a female with long pink hair that dropped to her back. She wore a dress and heels, a rather simple look: The Crystal Dragon.

"You rang, my King?" Eizen spoke with a slight bow. Just then, Mii and Drake returned to the palace, Drake begrudgingly giving Mii a piggyback ride. "Oh, look here…the Chosen has returned."

"We're baaaaack~" Mii hopped off Drake while dusting off her skirt. "Oh whoa, we have the whole group here, huh?"

"Not quite…" Edna shrugged.

"Nasir's part of the plan is underway as we speak, and Gaius has been positioned accordingly," Dhegensea explained. "There are some minor…bumps in the road that need taking care of for things to go smoothly. Eizen. I need you to go investigate what that light is. As for the others…I'm going to deploy you in these various locations…"

"Yeah, while that's all well and good…" Mii started to trail off. "I'm gonna go see what those guys in white robes are all about. They seem dangerous…oh shit, that's right! One of them has Hisui…! That's what we came here for!"

"Hm…" Dhegensea was slightly annoyed…but he merely shrugged it off. "Fate is unavoidable. Things are in our favor. But first…" He turned to face the light emanating from south of the city. "…that light must be extinguished."

.

.

"When did it get so dark…?" Lucy questioned while looking around. The area was dark thanks to Night Tide…but strangely, unbeknownst to her and Wes, it wasn't nearly as dark as it was around the island. "I hope the others are okay…"

"A four on one?" Wes grinned at Lucy, Virgo, Loke, and Aquarius after the blonde spoke. "Ha, now this is what I can a party! Can you guys rock out!?"

"How about you shut up!?" Aquarius shouted in an annoyed tone while violently swinging her vase forward, sending all of the water she absorbed from Wes back at him in one massive tidal wave that threatened to submerge everything in its path. Wes looked like he was consumed by the wave, but in reality…

"WOO HOO!" There the Commandant was, riding along the wave as though he was surfing on it, strumming his guitar rhythmically. He was totally in tune with the events going on right now. "Now THIS is what I call crowd surfing!" Not only was he in tune with the water, he completely turned the tidal wave around.

"He's…riding the wave…?!" Aqaurius' eyes widened in shock at Wes' ability to use water.

"Here he comes...!" Loke exclaimed.

Wes had his sights set on Virgo and Loke, grin appearing along his lips. "You two have been hogging the spotlight too long! Time to get off stage! I'm gonna drag you down! Maelstrom!" Before Loke and Virgo could react, a cyclone of water appeared and sucked them in, trashing them around violently before sending them soaring into Wes' range. In one fluid motion, he struck the two spirits with his guitar, causing them to fade back to the spirit world. All it took was one direct hit.

"G-Gomen…Princess…" Virgo had her eyes shut, knowing full well she failed Lucy.

"L-Lucy…." Loke could only say this before he faded away with Virgo.

"Loke! Virgo!" Lucy cried out before setting her sights on Wes with tears stinging her eyes. "Thank you. I'll take him out for you guys!" Aiming her bow once more, the blonde released a single, but large arrow. "Six Falling Stars!" The arrow was aimed at the center of the tidal wave, but it merely passed through it, causing Wes to laugh.

"Ha! Is that all you got!?" Wes mocked Lucy; however that was only the first part of Lucy's attack. The arrow split into six, spiraling upwards with incredible velocity that struck Wes and broke apart the tidal wave, leaving Wes a sitting duck. "Agh…!"

"Get out here you nuisance!" Aqaurius swung her vase again, sending a vicious spiral of water at Wes that completely consumed him.

"No waaaaay…!" Wes shouted while tumbling violently against the ground. It only took a few seconds before he stood back up, shaking off any and all impacts made. "Man, you guys are something else…then again I guess it wouldn't be too easy since you ARE a product of the traitor…"

"What are you talking about!?" Lucy was getting really tired of hearing that phrase.

Aquarius remained silent. Between Wes, this mysterious darkness, and Lucy's rapidly draining magic supply…things weren't looking too good. The spirit turned to Lucy before speaking. "This fight isn't one we can win."

"Huh?!" Those words made Lucy turn to Aquarius. "Why would you say that?! We have to save everyone before…!"

Wes strummed his guitar again, creating a tidal wave of his own that appeared under his feet, carrying him forward once again with incredible speed. His destination was the two ladies and it looked like he had something in store for them once he reached. "The show isn't over yet! We're about to hit the climax!"

"Celestial Spirits are no match for someone of his caliber!" Aquarius continued, rushing her words to Lucy. "This darkness isn't normal either. Someone must have created this, and judging by it, no one else can see. Yet we can…because we're here with you. Your light is making it possible for us to see! But your light alone can't break this darkness…you must summon the Celestial Spirit King! Together you may be able to…"

Lucy's eyes widened at Aquarius' words. It was a lot to take in and process but she understood. "How do I do that…!?"

"Break my key."

One could almost hear Lucy's heart breaking at those words. Instantly, she shook her head. "N-NO…! Are you crazy!? I can't do that!"

"If you don't…!" Aqaurius began, but Wes was already upon them with what looked like a finishing blow.

"Don't tune out now!" Wes swung his guitar for Lucy, but Aqaurius took the blow instead. The force of it was strong enough to knock Aqaurius into Lucy, sending the two tumbling away violently a few yards away. Wes dispersed the tidal wave and decided for a slow tune as he walked the rest of the way. "So I guess this is where our little jam session ends, huh?"

Aqaurius had a large gash running along her torso, but she had to stay so Lucy could finish the job. "Hurry…break the key…so you can save everyone…"

"N-No…" Lucy groaned in pain while pushing herself up to her hands and knees. "I…I have to save everyone…I can't sacrifice someone to do that. It's not right! There has to be another way!"

"Lucy! He's getting closer! Stop whining and do it already! You won't get another chance!" Aquarius shouted.

"I…I can't…" Lucy stared to cry now, tears rapidly rolling down her cheeks. "Y-You're all I have left of my family…" It was true. Since one particular event, Lucy was forced to say one final goodbye to Layla and her family. Now, Aquarius was all that was left of her past…she couldn't bear lose that one final connection. "I can't lose you; too…I just can't…"

"You idiot…" Aqaurius grit her teeth while glancing up. Wes was upon them now.

"A concert so moving it almost brought me to tears…" Wes fake sniffled while holding his guitar up, razor sharp water beginning to circle around the instrument. "All good things must come to an end eventually. This is where it ends for you, Lucy Heartfilia." Wes brought his guitar down…but before the motion could finish, a shoe was placed firmly in his face. The power behind it was enough to send him staggering back a few steps. "Guh…What the hell!? Who's the stage hog now!?"

"Oi oi…" A familiar voice caught Lucy's attention. Looking up through her tears, she had a soft smile at the one who came to protect her. Luke Cloud turned to look over his shoulder, giving a shake of his head. "It looks like you just can't stay out of trouble without me around, eh…?"

Lucy wiped her tears away, letting out a small laugh at Luke's remark. "Luke…"

.

.

The battle within Night Tide continues. At this rate, our heroes will be unable to defend themselves against the might of the dragons. Lucy is claimed to be the only one who can shatter the darkness, but she doesn't have the heart to do it. With Wes fighting against her and Luke now, time begins running low for the others. Lucy must find her resolve and light the path to victory for her friends, or be swallowed by the darkness like everyone else…

Next Time: Shine.


	33. Chapter 32: Shine!

"Hey! Who the hell is this ass hole who interrupted my epic finish!?" Wes rubbed his face with much agitation while pointing at Luke Cloud. "Where did you even come from!? There were no reports of you being on one of the ships that came back to the isle!?"

Luke chuckled at Wes' remark, rotating his arm with a grin. "Not in the report, huh?" He repeated. "Y'know, I'm surprised these idiots came back after all, but I guess no one gets left behind." He then turned to the injured Lucy and Aquarius. "I don't know what you two are fighting about…or this darkness came from…but I think we can take care of this together, yeah? Just like old times! We make a pretty good team, right Lucy?"

Lucy stood up, giving Luke a firm nod. "Y-Yeah…"

Aqaurius shook her head, hissing slightly from the gash that ran down her torso. "Idiot girl…"

"Glad to see you're not trying to kill us, Aqaurius," Luke attempted a friendly grin, but Aqaurius' cold stare shut down that approach quickly. "Right…anyway…" Turning back to Wes, Luke allowed lightning to dance around his body. "Who am I, you ask? Luke Cloud, copy mage of Fiore's strongest guild: White Eclipse. Remember that after I beat the crap outta you." After speaking, Luke was off like bolt of living lighting. He closed the gap between himself and Wes within a few mere seconds whilst pulling his arm back, white lightning radiating off his limb. "Iron Fist…of the Holy Lightning Dragon!" A mixture of his White God and Lightning Dragon slaying. Luke slammed the fist into Wes' face, a loud CRACK of thunder occurring on impact, a flash following after as Wes was thrown back a surprising distance from Luke's blow. "Lucy!"

"H-Hai!" Lucy closed her eyes while pulling the bowstring back once more. "I won't sacrifice you Aquarius…we'll take him down and save everyone from this darkness…so please, trust me!" She then unleashed massive shining arrow towards the stunned Wes.

"Ugh…sounded louder than a stereo on full volume…" Wes shook his head before noticing the arrow hurtling towards him. "Nice try, but you can't break my noise that easily!" He held his hand up, creating a protective dome of water around him…which was quickly inhaled by the vase Aquarius was holding since he completely forgot about her.

"I HOPE YOU DIDN'T FORGET ABOUT ME YOU BASTARD!" Aqaurius shouted angrily.

"Sh…!" Wes shifted his body to the side, but Lucy's arrow pierced right through him anyway, causing his eyes to widen as blood flew from his mouth. Wes fell to a knee, gasping for air from the direct blow. "Ugh…damn…water spirit. Killing my flow…"

"If you wanted your water back so much…all you had to do was ask NICELY!" Aggressively throwing the vase forward, a massive tidal wave was unleashed onto Wes, who was temporarily swept away.

"Gauh!" Wes gurgled before regaining some control, strumming his guitar to manipulate the water into a raging twister while he stood back on solid ground. "Okay, that's enough. I'm tired of you ruining my awesome performances! Let's see those hips move girl! Dance water dance!" Wes began rocking out hardcore, taking steps forward while jamming. Not only did a few clones of water appear, but they jammed along with him, causing pillars of water to rapidly rise from the ground.

Aquarius tried once again to absorb all of the water in her vase, but she quickly realized it was far too much. "…N-No…!"

"Let's rock out!" Wes and his clones exclaimed in unison. The pillars of water became more aggressive and trapped Lucy, Luke, and Aquarius within them. "It's time for the final session! JOINT SESSION!" In one final strum, the pillars of water exploded violently, sending the three scattering in separate directions. The clones faded away after while Wes turned to look at his work. "How was that?"

"Ugh…" Luke groaned while lying on his stomach. "Damn…this guy isn't a joke…" He had a hard time getting up, something Lucy assumed only because it was a heavy hit. It was a miracle that she was still conscious with all the magic used and damaged taken.

"A-Aquarius…are you…" Lucy panicked slightly while looking over to the Water Bearer. She was still there, though it was easy to tell that she wasn't happy about it. "Okay…ugh…" Slowly standing up, she teetered back and forth before staring at Wes. "Why is he so powerful…?"

"I was wondering the same thing…" Luke grunted while hunched over. "I'm also wondering…where the hell the backup is…!? Surely you all didn't split up that much…"

"I have to rescue them…" Lucy said while aiming her bow at Wes once again, several arrows at the ready. "That's why I'm fighting so hard…!"

"No no, no more of that!" Wes snapped his fingers, bringing forth the spheres of water that had Yukino, Sting, Rogue, Kagura, Selene, Draco, Frosch, Lector, Chelia, and Raven trapped in front of him. They were unconscious and who knew how much longer they had. "If you REALLY wanna take another shot at me, go right ahead! But being totally honest here…I don't think you're that good a markswoman, Heartfilia."

"Oh…" That answered Luke's question. He clenched a hand into a fist while staring at his two guild members. "Selene…Draco…Chelia…damn it…!"

"It's a shame they couldn't see this awesome rock out," Wes chuckled with an evil grin. It was rare that the lazy good for nothing actually put his foot down and actually did his job. It had to have been the heat of battle getting to him for once. "But that's enough horsing around. Lucy Heartfilia, you ARE coming with us. It is my job to apprehend the product of the traitor…and normally I'd hate to even sweat because it's gross…but this has been my work out for the year."

"Product of the traitor…?" Luke blinked before staring at Lucy. "What is he talking about…?"

"I don't know…" Lucy responded while her aim began to falter on Wes. "B-but I can't shoot at them…I can't lose Aquarius either…Maybe I should go with him…"

"Don't be an idiot!" Aquarius let out a pained grunt. "Do not go with him, you have to—

"Oi…" Luke shook his head while staring at Lucy. "Take the shot."

"Wha!?" Lucy's eyes widened while glancing back at Luke. "I-I can't…They're all in danger!"

"Do you trust me?" Luke's gaze was serious.

"Mhm…" Lucy nodded slowly before turning back at Wes, strengthening her grip on the bowstring. "I trust you, Luke."

"W-Whoa!?" Wes' eyes widened as Lucy began to take the shot again. "You must be bluffing! There's no way you're going to get that shot off with your comrades in front of you! Just be a good girl and put the bow down!"

"No." Lucy replied sternly before releasing the bowstring, sending several arrows hurtling towards Wes while waiting on Luke. No words were needed between the two, despite appearances; they had a strong level of trust.

Luke waited until the last second before snapping his fingers, creating several gray magic seals before the bubbles; circular mirrors appeared in place. The arrows bounced off into the air, where another set of mirrors appeared to ricochet off those, now heading towards Wes with their speed and power increased due to the mirrors. "Mirror Shards!" Right after Lucy's arrows, the mirrors in the air broke apart into small, yet sharp shards, all of them racing towards Wes along with Lucy's arrows.

"What!?" Wes' eyes widened at the teamwork displayed by Luke and Lucy. He wasn't expecting them to bypass the hostage situation. Before he knew it, the arrows pierced right through him while the mirror shards created lacerations within his skin. The combined efforts of the Fairy and the Eclipse mage was enough to send the rocker flying backwards until he hit the ground on his back, lying motionless.

Lucy fell to her knees, her bow disappearing due to the amount of magic she used in the bout, though she managed to flash Luke a grin and a thumbs up. "W-…We won…!"

"Did they…?" Aquarius stared at Wes while he was down…but was he out was the question.

"OUCH…" Wes groaned while standing right back up. His body was bloodied, cut, bruised, and his robe was a tattered in some places…but he was still standing tall. This made the eyes of Luke, Lucy, and Aquarius widen in fear. "Sorry to say, but you were just ONE arrow too short to put me down. Or at least come even close! It's a shame that one missed…"

"This guy's a monster…" Luke nearly choked on his words.

"W-What can we do…?!" Lucy looked to both Luke and Aquarius for any advice, but things were looking dim.

"It's time to bring this show to an end! For real this time!" Wes once again began strumming his guitar while a light blue aura radiated off his person. As a result the entire area began shaking violently. "It's time for the final jam! Now shut up and listen!" Once again, pillars of water began shooting up from the ground, only this time they were much higher in the air than before. None of the light mages could move due to their exhaustion and even if they could, the pillars prevented them from making any progress. "WATER GIGS!" With on high pitched chord being hit, the pillars of water created instantly collapsed on themselves, creating a tidal wave that swept Luke, Lucy and Aquarius away violently.

.

.

"Oh…" Laura's attention was grasped by something unnatural she could feel quite the distance away. "…If I didn't know any better, it looks like that lazy good for nothing bastard has finally decided to take his job seriously for once. I hope this yields results."

Brax waved one hand. "Oi, cut him some slack. You know he does the job when it counts."

.

.

"This monster…" Luke groaned while placing himself on a knee, panting heavily while slowly looking up at Wes. "Who the hell are you…?"

"Oh, I guess I forgot to exchange my name with you…" Wes shrugged as he gripped his guitar tighter, limping slowly towards the trio. "Wes, one of the 13 Commandants of Pergrande. Number 12 to be exact."

"H-He's only the second weakest…!?" Lucy's eyes widened in horror at this realization.

"Number doesn't mean anything!" Wes shouted defensively, though that practically confirmed the assumption. "Whatever! I'm going to finish this off once and for all and bring you in, Heartfilia."

"Lucy, you have to…" Aquarius was about to bring it up again, but Lucy was quick to shake her head.

"No, I won't…!" Lucy said while forcing herself to stand up, only she fell right to her knees after. She was just about spent and could've continue fighting, which was bad considering Wes was making his way over to finish them after a long fought battle. "I can't…!"

Luke stood up, hunched over while breathing heavily. He turned to look over his shoulder at Lucy while giving a slight nod. "I don't know what you two are still going on about….but I'm going to buy you some time to do whatever it is you need to do, Lucy. I won't be able to hold him off for long though…"

As Luke spoke, Lucy tilted her head in confusion. Just what was he talking about? Lucy then saw it…the reason Luke had only been using one arm this entire fight. The other one was fractured, possibly broken. Likely during his time alone on the island after buying everyone else time to escape; brown eyes widened as she stared at the Eclipse mage. "L-Luke…"

"Do it!" Luke exclaimed before charging Wes, a black and white aura exploded around his body as he entered his dual mode: Pseudo God, covering half of his body in darkness and the other in light. His good arm was pulled back, darkness forming around it. "Darkness Crash!"

"You can still fight!?" Wes grunted in annoyance while bringing up his guitar to block against the Darkness Crash; the explosion of darkness caused by Luke's fist send Wes sliding back a few feet. "You're really beginning to irritate me! The show's over, so beat it!" Wes took one large step forward before singing his guitar directly at Luke, sending him flying away. The Eclipse mage wasn't down long; he got right back up to fight once again, and he just kept getting smacked around at this point. If not for his prior injuries, he may have been able to put up a better fight.

"We're running out of time, you brat!" Aquarius shouted at Lucy as Luke proceeded to take a beating. "He's putting himself on the line so you can save everyone, it's now or never!" Lucy opened her mouth to protest, but Aquarius wasn't having it anymore. "If you don't break my key, you'll lose everyone else. I know you don't want to feel alone anymore…but you're not, right? Your family will always live on in your heart…so you have to live on for the sake of them, and the new friends you've made. You know that's what she would want."

The tears were rolling down Lucy's cheeks by this point, but she saw Aquarius' point. She needed to do this…and she had to hurry, as Luke was now sprawled across the ground a few feet in front of her. "Luke…!"

"I'm spent…" Luke coughed up some blood while reverting to normal. "I can't move…"

"Then I guess that's it…" Wes let out a sigh while strumming one final time, unleashing gigantic beam of water towards the trio to finish them off. "Au revior!"

"I said I couldn't move…! I didn't say…I was out of magic!" Luke forced his arm forward, creating a dense black bubble that shielded him and Lucy from the beam of water. The Black God's Bubble was only going to hold out for a few seconds, however. "Lucy…Do it now…!"

"O-okay…!" Lucy shouted while gripping Aquarius' key tightly, a bright light illuminating from the sky. "OPEN…!" As soon as she began shouting, her memories of Aquarius started to flash in her mind, causing the tears to stream down her cheeks rapidly. "GATE OF THE CELESITAL SPIRIT KING!"

There was a soft smile on Aquarius' lips, a slow tear running down her cheek as soon as her key shattered. "I never liked you…and yet…" Before her thoughts could finish, she vanished as the ground began to quiver violently, causing Wes' attack to stop in its tracks just as it broke the Bubble.

"W-What's going on!?" Wes shouted while frantically looking around.

"What did you do…?" Luke weakly asked while staring over at Lucy, who was too busy crying her eyes out to even begin to give Luke a solid answer.

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The Isle of the Dragons was shrouded in a thick veil of impenetrable darkness known as Night Tide. This darkness was proving to be a handicap to the mages on the island and a boon to the dragons they were fighting. If the darkness continued they would've lost this battle…but it wasn't continuing any longer. For the lone light on the island shone bright enough. A twinkle appeared within the skies above the island; faster than light, the Celestial Spirit King flew past the island with his sword held behind him. Several glints of light appeared in various locations in Night Tide before exploding brilliantly with the brightest of lights; the veil of darkness was reduced to nothing against the might of the Celestial Spirit King. The rays of hope could shine down upon the island once more.

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Dhegensea could only stare in disbelief as his darkness was broken by an unknown source of light. Things weren't going the way fate wrote it too, causing a drop of sweat to appear on his forehead. "L-Light…!? Where did this light come from!?"

"Sir, look…!" Drake pointed in the sky, where the Spirit King stood, glaring down at Dhegensea. "W-who the hell is that!?"

"The Celestial Spirit King…" Dhegensea gulped before turning his shocked gaze into one of anger. "What are you doing here!? Fate did not mention your appearance! It only mentioned that everlasting darkness would shroud the island!"

"You were the cause of this darkness?" The Spirit King asked with a stern expression. His eyes briefly glanced in Lucy's direction all the way near the jungle; he could hear her tears of sadness. "You're the reason tears run down the cheeks of my old friend?"

"The spirit mage!" Dhegensea grit his teeth before letting out a soft chuckle. "So she summoned you, did she? What do you intend to do about it now? Are you really going to fight me because your summoned is crying?"

"I do not intend to fight you, Dragon King…" Spirit King spoke while pointing his sword at the Black Dragon King. "I intend to destroy you."

"Ha…" Dhegensea laughed at those words. "I've never had a fight with you before. This should be interesting…but allow us to take this into the skies. I do not wish to damage my island too much when I run you into the ground…" As he spoke, a pair of pitch black wings sprouted from his back; with that the pair ascended high into the sky, just above the clouds.

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"WHAT THE HELL DID YOU DO?!" Wes exclaimed as the tremors slowly began dying down. The sky was blue once again and the Commandant was confused. All he could really focus on was Lucy, and no one was getting an answer from her since she was too busy crying. "Stop the waterworks, that's my idea!"

Before Wes could say anymore, Luke managed to get his body up and sock Wes in the face one more time; no magic, just raw strength. He collapsed shortly after but he felt as though he did his job. "Stop talking…"

Just a few feet away…Yukino started to regain consciousness. The bubble that held her trapped popped after Lucy fired her arrows; one of the arrows Luke 'failed' to deflect hit Yukino's bubble and set her free and she was just waking up now. "Ugh…" Pulling herself up, she could see Wes, Luke, and Lucy crying. It didn't take long for her to assess the important parts of the conversation, so she just ran over to Lucy while holding her hand out. "L-Lucy-Sama…!"

Lucy couldn't hear anything over the sound of her own wailing. She cried and cried, but one voice managed to enter her head. 'Never forget, my old friend…even in the depths of darkness…there is always a light waiting to be found. Your light will be the one that guides everyone to victory.' Those words were enough to get Lucy back into the game. She saw Yukino and instant stood up, their hands connecting. Suddenly, a golden aura began to appear around the two spirit mages as they recited an incantation.

"Survey the Heavens, open the heavens…

All the stars, far and wide, show me thy appearance…

With such shine.

Oh Tetrabiblos…

I am the ruler of the stars…

Aspect become complete…

Open thy malevolent gate.

Oh 88 stars of the heaven…

Shine!

URANO METRIA!"

As they two began the incantation, they appeared to enter a trance-like state while the area around them, Luke, and Wes changed. Star-like lights appearing around the Commandant, double the size and number of what they would normally be. This was shortly followed by a pitch black blanket of darkness resembling the night sky. Wes stared in horror at what was about to occur, and there was nothing he could do to stop it. The stars shone brilliantly before exploding in a flash of light, enveloping the entire area. When the light faded, Wes was seen on his knees with a near lifeless expression. Was he down?

"Did it work…?" Yukino questioned while panting softly.

"N-NO…!" Wes gripped his head in what appeared to be agony. "This can't be happening…NO WAAAAAaaaaaaaaaayyy…! I can't believe…this was my final jam…" His form began to fizzle out before he just…dispersed into darkness. His head hung low and his arms dropped to his sides in a defeated fashion before he vanished, his white robe vanishing along with him. As soon as he was defeated, the bubbles containing the others popped and they fell harmlessly to the ground.

"We won, Aquarius…" Lucy smiled before falling backwards, hitting the ground on her back. She nearly passed out on the spot, but she still retained some consciousness.

"Lucy-sama…Luke-sama…what happened…?" Yukino questioned while kneeling down. "You two are horribly injured…"

"Long story…" Luke groaned.

"My…" Eizen appeared on the scene whilst shaking his head. "This is where that infernal light came from? You humans are starting to put a damper on things, much to the King's hidden dismay."

"A-A dragon…!?" Yukino's eyes widened as she stood up, immediately grasping her key ring. She was going to fight to protect Luke and Lucy.

"Do you believe I'll fall to a human?" Eizen questioned Yukino's stance with utter disgust. He drew one hand back, a sliver light wrapping around his entire arm. "The King has ordered me to squash the source of the light that broke through Night Tide…and I'm going to do just that."

"We're not gonna be able to fight him…!" Luke groaned.

Eizen drew his hand back to slash at Yukino, but before the motion was complete a funnel of orange flames suddenly consumed him. He was compelled to jump back, sucking his teeth in annoyance at his singed clothing. "Who dares interfere!?"

"Oi!" Natsu hopped onto the scene with Happy soaring above. He looked at Luke and Lucy, rubbing the back of his head oblivious to the situation as always. "Whoa, Lucy! What happened!? You look terrible…and Duke! You're alive!"

"It's Luke you idiot…" Luke shook his head, but he was secretly glad Natsu arrived on the scene.

"Natsu…" Lucy smiled softly.

"Natsu-sama…" Yukino let out a silent sigh of relief.

"So you're that human Dhegensea spoke of…Natsu Dragneel…" Eizen nodded slowly to himself. "Nasir was supposed to deal with you."

"Is this the guy that beat you up?" Happy asked Lucy with an innocent smile, though her lack of a verbal response had him worried. "Lucy…?"

"I was pretty annoyed when I lost Nasir…even more annoyed when that random darkness covered the entire island…but you know what made me angry?" Natsu asked while clenching his hands into fists, veins starting to appear on his forehead. "When I saw a bastard like you attempting harm on my nakama." Fists collided against one another, a vicious blaze of flames erupting around his knuckles. "I'm gonna burn you to ash."

.

.

Another explosion occurred. Erza and Ena slid back a few feet away from each other. Ena began another insanely fast charge towards Erza, but she was able to avoid it unlike most others. "…Huh…?" Ena felt her strength dropping rapidly, though before she could establish the means to why, Erza slammed the tip of her lightning coated lance into Ena's chest once more, unleashing a high voltage discharge of lightning in the female's system. Erza wasn't finished there; she brought forth her Purgatory Sword while in her Lightning Empress armor and swung it at Ena, the sheer force of the weapon sending Ena through an underground wall.

"Whoa, look at that come back!" Meredy exclaimed before looking up. "Hey look…! The sun is out again! It's day time!"

"Night Tide…has been broken…?" Ena questioned while pulling herself out of the wall with a confused expression. "B-But how…?"

Erza had a feeling. A soft smile crossed her lips, thoughts going to Lucy before giving a soft nod. "That's not your concern right now, Ena." Holding the Purgatory Sword towards the Dragon Princess, the injured Fairy made her proclamation. "What matters now…is that I'm going to break the control on you, and set you free."

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Next time: Erza vs. Ena!


	34. Chapter 33: Erza vs Ena

"You don't honestly think you can break my skin with that, do you, Erza-senpai?" Ena tilted her head while staring at the Purgatory Sword within Erza's hands. "I don't think…" Before Ena could finish, Erza was already on her, swinging the mace violently towards her side. Ena was fast enough to defend against the blow with her scaled arm, though the impact was more than enough to cause her to wince and force her to skid to the side with a grunt. "Oh~"

"If I didn't know any better…" Meredy narrowed her eyes at Ena before getting somewhat of a risky idea. "It seems like either she's enjoying the pain…or she's not taking any damage at all…." The pinkette then formed a sensory link with Ena, who was quite unaware of anything that wasn't Erza.

Ena grinned as Erza moved in once again, aiming another swing. This time, the dragon leaned back and evaded the powerful swing while her wings spread apart. "Black Dragon's…Wing Slash!" She then slammed into Erza with her wing, jetting across the cave with Erza in tow.

"Gck…!" Erza let out a small cry of pain while dropping her sword which faded away. She was forced into the air. Before she knew it, Ena released her, only to turn quickly and slam Erza's back with her leg, which sent Titania crashing violently into the ground, creating a miniature earthquake.

"Come on, you can do better, Erza-senpai!" Ena lunged downward with her legs extended. This drop kick she was planning could finish Erza right then and there! However, at the last second, Erza requipped to her Adamantine Armor, which soaked the hit. "Eh…? This again? Your wardrobe is pretty wide, right…!?"

Just as she spoke, another light shrouded Erza, only to reveal her Giant's armor. Ena received yet another punch to the face, followed by a hammer fist right into the ground! Erza then leapt back, panting softly. "How tough is she…?" Erza questioned to herself with a serious expression.

"…It feels like I'm wearing heavy armor…" Meredy told the others. "I can feel what Ena feels physically...Erza is doing damage, but with that skin, it's like she's wearing some thick armor that will take forever to wear down….and I'm not sure Erza has the time for it…"

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"Eh…?" Laura blinked a few times while staring out the ship's window. She, just like everyone else, was curious about the sudden break in Night Tide. "When the hell did the sun come back out…?"

Brax yawned, leaning back in his seat while glancing out of the window. "Well, how about that…looks like there was some form of light lurking around this island after all! Now we just have to wait for Wes to come back with that blonde and we're good to go."

"Almost good to go." Laura spoke with a sly grin. "Don't forget what Lucius has in store once we gather more info~" She then glanced at Lex, who was quietly taking part in the conversation; rolling her green eyes. "Lex, stop being such a rock, geez…and where the hell is that lazy oaf? He should've been back by now…"

"Wes has been defeated." Lex responded with a brutish grunt. "His power has vanished off the face of the island."

"What's that now?" Brax took a second to take in the information.

"He's dead?" Laura blinked a few times, mouth hanging open…it was like the news stunned her. And then she let out the heartiest laugh humanly possible, slapping her knee before her arms wrapped around her stomach; her diaphragm was ill prepared for the news. "HAHAHAHAHAHA! HE'S DEAD!? THE LAZY BASTARD LOST!? OH MY GOD THAT'S RICH!" She and Wes never really did have an outstanding relationship…in fact; this just went to show how cruel the Commandants could be just to one another.

"That good for nothing…" Xen reappeared on the ship, slamming his fist on the ship's interior quite angrily. "He only had ONE job, which was to bring me that traitor's product! Yet he couldn't even do that correctly!"

"He did say we put the wrong person on the job…" Brax shrugged, trying his best to defend his fallen comrade. "But this does provide us with some information. That woman is more dangerous than we originally thought."

"I will not STAND for this!" Xen had a vein ready to burst from his forehead.

"Then sit down." Laura immediately responded. The sheer audacity of the comment just made Xen's mood worse.

"And WHERE is Lucius…!?" Xen was so close to blowing a gasket. "He's been out and about on this island all day with no transmission report!"

"Some leader he is…" Laura rolled her eyes in slight annoyance.

"No point in waiting on him…" Lex said while standing up, causing everyone to turn in his direction. "Don't you feel it? The strong presence that just appeared on the island moments ago? It appeared shortly before Wes' power just vanished. There are many strong opponents on this isle…and I intend to crush them all under my boot."

"Oh, so I guess we're all moving out now!?" Laura grinned before looking towards Xen, since he was second in command while Lucius was away. "Eh, eh!?"

"You're all way too excited…" Xen shook his head before giving an eventual nod. "Yes, I suppose we should move out. With Wes down, I'm interested to see how these mages truly are…plus, Lucius should've been back by now. I suppose we'll receive something from him in due time…because we're all here for that ulterior motive as well…Lex, go on. You too, Brax. Laura, you're with me. Perhaps we can clean up the mess Wes made."

.

.

Just as the sun appeared on the isle once again, Dealer managed to fend off the remaining dragon soldiers. Tia let out a heavy sigh and allowed her armor to fade away, taking a seat on the ground. "G-Geez…those things were way too strong, especially in that darkness…" She looked up at the sun, wearing a quizzical expression. "But it makes you wonder…where DID that darkness come from to begin with…? And where did it go…?"

"That's not important right now…" Ace said while glancing back at Wendy and Cynthia. "Wendy, is she okay…?"

Wendy took a moment to respond, looking over Cynthia before spotting something unsightly. "Ah…! H-Her shoulder…!" The red scales that were appearing on Cynthia's shoulder began spreading down her arm and slightly along her neck. The Dragonifcation process on Cynthia sped up slightly due to her use of magic. "Cynthia!"

"Ugh…" Cynthia groaned, eyes fluttering open while glancing at her shoulder. Her eyes widened slightly, though she tried not to let anyone see her panic. "I-I guess…that backfired a little…but on the bright side…that urge I have to tear at everything severely is gone now."

"This is no good." Heartless said while dusting off her dress. "We absolutely cannot stay here. We're surrounded on all ends and we can't keep defending Cynthia if her condition is getting worse. We'll have to meet with Erza's team and push to the Mystic Water so we can cure her."

"Erza's team isn't even on the radar right now…" Spade responded to Heartless' idea, and everyone looked at him with confusion. "Mii was with Erza's team…and shortly before Cana told us that she was the traitor the team vanished off the surface…"

"Greaaaat…" Diamond rolled her eyes, hands placing on her hips. "So our initial plan has been derailed a little…I think we should make an effort to find them anyway. Cynthia's not looking so good."

"I'm fine…what are you talking about…" Cynthia tried, but the cough she gave between words really erased her argument.

"I'm an idiot and even I can tell you're lying…" Strong stated bluntly.

"You don't have to push yourself," Carla went to pat Cynthia on the arm gently, but the heat radiating off her body was too much for Carla to even get close…and the fact Wendy was still holding onto Cynthia… "Wendy, your hands…"

"I'm fine." Wendy immediately replied to Carla with a soft smile.

"So what are we doing!?" Jack interrupted with an annoyed grunt. "Are we staying here or are we moving? I don't want to be a sitting duck again; this area is WAY too exposed!"

"He's right." Ace nodded. "Spade, track where Erza's team was at last. We'll follow that trail and move from there."

"I'm on it…" Spade nodded while doing some research. "They were heading towards the city from this side…so…ah! I got it! Follow me, everyone!"

.

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"The darkness has receded…" Hisui stated while following closely behind Lucius. She didn't trust him whatsoever, but she found herself drawn into his presence and his voice. Plus he proved himself to be strong, so it would be wise for her own safety to follow him…at the same time, if trouble arose and he proved to be a bad guy, she'd be in a bad situation. All she could do was wait until one of the others found her.

After Hisui made her comment, Lucius turned, staring directly into the jade princess' eyes. "Ah, I'm glad. It allows me to see your beauty once again, Princess. Though there is no darkness in the world that can block out your radiance…" He began leaning in with a sly grin, causing Hisui's eyes to widen.

'Is he coming onto me…!?' She thought in a panic, slowly leaning away with a nervous sweat drop. She couldn't find herself to move because Lucius' voice was just so slick and smooth… "A-Ah…." And once Lucius was close, Hisui sneezed, though the pink haired male was fast enough to move back. "Ugh…I guess I'm still feeling a little sick…" Thank goodness for that cold she had. "Oh…before I forget to ask…how did you know I'm a Princess…?"

Lucius wrinkled his nose at Hisui's unexpected sneeze. "Oh? Simple…" He pointed to the crown atop Hisui's head. "That's the crown of Fiore. Anyone who had any knowledge of the countries beyond Fiore would at least recognize that crown."

"Oh…" Hisui could believe that much.

"Come now, let us not dwell here any longer, Princess. We must get you to safety; facing Dhegensea now is not a wise idea…" Lucius said while continuing to lead the way.

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"These turn of events aren't supposed to be happening, right?" Venoma asked Drake and Enda while staring into the sky, where Dhegensea was doing battle with the Celestial Spirit King. She then turned to her fellow dragons while resting a hand on her hip. "Usually, you can tell things are going well by the way our king smiles…but did you see the look in his eyes? I don't think things are going well…"

"I don't quite understand what's happening…" Enda said with a look of indifference. "I just know it's quite a drag. Eizen going out and getting all the action while I just sit here waiting for commands."

"This is all too screwed up!" Drake began stomping in place like child, causing the two females to give him that look to make him simmer down. "Ugh…if it's not one thing, it's another! Especially that rotten Chosen! How could someone like her POSSBILY be the one to help us achieve our goals?! How does the King trust her!?"

"Oh, silly Drake…" Venoma let out a giggle, waltzing over to pat Drake on the shoulder. "You're mistaken if you think Dhegensea actually TRUSTS her. It's more so…he believes in her very existence, you understand? If all goes correctly, without these other humans throwing things off course…that Mii will bring our plans to fruition." She then began twirling a strand of her purple hair around a single finger. "Granted she is a little annoying and off beat…and I'm almost positive her hormones aren't in check…"

"Maybe it's just a façade," Edna shrugged while turning her back, beginning to walk off.

"Where are you going?" Drake questioned.

"I'm getting some sun. If you didn't notice, it was pretty dark out earlier. Even dragons need their vitamin D. You think I wake up with this kind of complexion? I may be amazing, but I'm not a miracle worker." Edna responded with a monotonous tone of voice before exiting the room.

"I hate her." Drake scoffed.

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.

Above the clouds, the Celestial Spirit King and Dhegensea were doing battle. The Spirit King pointed his blade forward, five seals appearing in a star-like formation on the tip of the blade. "Infinite Starlight!" The Celestial King exclaimed, unleashing large golden beams from the seals that rapidly flew towards Dhegensea; as the name suggested, this attack was indeed infinite.

"Ha…!" Dhegensea laughed at the incoming beams of magic. He displayed his incredible speed, a resounding boom echoing throughout the sky as he took off. His aerial mobility was impressive, maneuvering through the incoming beams with ease while closing in on the Spirit King. Once Dhegensea was close, he reared his arm back with darkness surrounding the limb. "Black Dragon's Claw!" He swung his arm forward, landing a direct hit on the chest of the Spirit King, but at the same time the King stopped his attack and swung his large fist at Dhegensea; the two hit each other, and as a result they flew back a few yards away from each other. "Oof, that was something…" Dhegensea grunted while crossing his arms, staring down the Spirit King.

"I can see your strength has improved these last 400 years, Black Dragon King." Spirit King uttered.

"Looks like you've been doing more than just opening gates," Dhegensea remarked with an annoyed visage. "What are you even doing here? You very well know you cannot remain here for long, and fate said nothing about your arrival. You may as well leave now."

"You and this scroll of fate…you should that these humans, my old friends…they do not abide by a written piece of paper." Spirit King responded with what looked like a grin. "You underestimate the power of humans, Dhegensea. Especially these ones."

Hearing those words just caused Dhegensea to let out a low, feral growl. "How DARE you speak in such a way!?" With another boom, Dhegensea flew forward with aggression, quickly closing in the distance between himself and the Spirit King. The Spirit King did the same, flying forward with his sword at the ready. The clash between titans continued…

.

.

Back on the ground near the jungle, Lucy's head was resting on Yukino's lap. Lucy looked incredibly tired, her eyes were red and her cheeks puffed out from all her crying. Her breathing was heavy and she looked like she was going to pass out at any moment. "Lucy-sama…are you okay!?" Yukino questioned Lucy in worry.

"That fight really took a lot out of her…" Luke grunted while sitting up, staring at Lucy who was almost unresponsive. He then glanced towards Natsu's fight with Eizen with a slight frown. He hated sitting out of a fight, but he was too injured and he'd just weight Natsu down. "Damn it…"

"What happened…?" Happy asked while looking at Luke and Yukino.

"E-Etto…" Yukino shrugged. "I-I don't know…I just woke up and Luke-sama and Lucy-sama were fighting someone in a white coat…"

"I think Lucy would have the full story…I came in halfway…" Luke responded, though his mind flashed back to when Lucy sacrificed Aquarius. He still didn't understand entirely what happened, but he knew it was both a good and bad thing for her. "But she really doesn't look so good…"

"Fire Dragon's…" Natsu leapt up with both feet engulfed in flames. "TALONS!" He swung both of his feet in an axekick motion, aiming for Eizen's head. To his annoyance, Eizen brought up a single arm to block against Natsu's strike, though the ground underneath the sliver dragon caved in slightly. Natsu flipped away, cheeks inflating once again as he was upside down. "And…ROAR!" Opening his mouth, the fire dragon unleashed a massive funnel of flames that consumed the opposition while sending him backwards. After landing on his feet, Natsu wiped his mouth with the back of his hand while panting slightly, staring into the smoke to see the results of his attack.

"Dragon Slayer Magic…" Eizen smoke as the smoke cleared, merely using his hand to blow it all away. His clothes were singed and there were burn marks on his skin. Though his indifferent expression could have said he was unharmed, the slight annoyance buried within his tone said otherwise. "Those are the flames of Igneel…I've clashed with those flames once."

"You know about Igneel..!?" Natsu questioned with a glare. "Tell me!"

"Ha…" Eizen chuckled at Natsu's demand. "I'm sure you'd like to know…" Eizen then inhaled, quickly taking aim at Natsu as he unleashed a large beam of sliver energy towards the fire dragon that traveled at a rapid pace.

"So you do know something!" Natsu grunted before crossing his arms, feeling the Silver Dragon's Roar push him backwards a few yards before slowly coming to a halt. He kept his guard up even as Eizen's speed suddenly allowed him to appear behind Natsu. "…!" Natsu turned, though his body was slow to react.

"Sliver Dragon's…Slash!" Eizen exclaimed while thrusting his hand forward which was coated in a near blinding aura of sliver. The slash hit Natsu directly, sending the slayer flying forward. Eizen continued his assault and lunged forward while raising one leg. "And, Talon!" Payback for Natsu's earlier strike; Eizen brought his leg down on Natsu, creating a large crater on impact.

"Natsu…!" Lucy weakly shouted, though Yukino urged her to keep resting.

"He should've evaded that…" Luke murmured.

"My, is this all Igneel's prodigy has to offer…?" Eizen questioned while staring at Natsu, who slowly picked himself up. He then noticed it, the weighted breathing Natsu had. "Ah…so that's it…it looks like Nasir couldn't help himself with that air of his."

"Natsu?" Happy tilted his head in confusion.

"Tch…" Natsu panted heavily but he still looked like he was ready to fight as always.

"It would be a shame…" Eizen tilted his head towards Happy, Luke, Lucy, and Yukino with a slight grin. "If your friends were caught in the middle…" Extending one palm forward, a sphere of silver shot out, aiming to crash into all four of them for what would be a devastating explosion.

"Shit…!" Natsu yelled while trying to gather speed to intercept, but Eizen was not letting him go anywhere so all he could do was watch while the others braced for impact.

"White Dragon's…IRON FIST!" Sting threw his white magic coated arm forward, smacking the sphere away and let it explode in the sky. Next to him was Rogue, still wet from the temporary prison he was in but otherwise fine. "Whew, that was a close one. You look tired, Natsu-san. Let Rogue and I handle this one."

"Sting-sama…! Rogue-sama…!" Yukino's eyes lit up with happiness.

"It is very unwise…" Rogue began with a sinister glare.

"To lay a hand on our comrades…" Sting finished with the exact same glare. The Twin Dragons stared down the mildly uninterested Eizen.

.

.

Back at Fairy Tail…

"I hope the others are okay…" Warren let out a slight sigh. "I wish I was more useful…"

"They'll be okay," Mavis said with an encouraging grin. "I have faith in them after all, and I don't believe things are as bad as it seems. Erza was really confident that this Ena would be an ally of ours."

"That's Erza for you…" Makarov said with a slight smile. "It matters not who it may be…if she trusts someone, she won't give up on them…"

.

.

"Black Dragon's…" Ena inhaled once again, though this breath was much deeper than the last. "IRE!" Throwing her head forward, she released three consecutive beams of a blackish red magic towards Erza. Even those watching were unsafe as the strength of each beam threatened to collapse the cave; explosions occurred all around as everyone dodged for what could've been their life. "Come on, Erza-senpai! Play with me some more!"

"This girl's crazy…" Blues grunted.

"I have to finish this soon…" Erza thought while changing into her Flight Armor yet again, this time wielding the Lightning Lance, Water Sword, and Flame Sword in both hands. She ran circles around Ena, creating a watery cyclone soon infused with the power of lightning and fire, aiming to do massive damage with Ena trapped within the eye of the storm.

"Ngh…" Meredy flinched from feeling such force pile on her all at once, but overall she had yet to collapse from the pain which meant…

"Ha!" Ena extended her arms, forcibly breaking the tri elemental tornado. "Whew, that was getting a little dicey, I admit…"

"No way…" Erza grit her teeth. Everything she was throwing at Ena wasn't working. She thought about asking Blues for help on this now, but there was something telling her not to. That she needed to be the one to do this. Such foolish pride is something only a knight would have, yet that same pride kept her going.

"Does she have any weaknesses!?" Juvia asked Meredy.

"Dragon Slaying Magic…" Blues said in an annoyed fashion, though he remembered how his last attack went.

"Every time Ena gets hit…I hardly feel anything…" Meredy was desperate for a solution. "Although…when Erza hits her chest, I do feel a little something…"

"Her chest…" Aira uttered silently.

Erza was overhearing the conversation, as was Ena, though it didn't look like she particularly cared since Erza was on the losing end of this bout. "Wait…" Erza's eyes widened once she recalled Meredy's words, and looked at the mark on Ena's chest. The skin was weaker there; otherwise the marking from the impalement with the Lightning Lance shouldn't have existed. "That's it…!"

"Maybe you've figured it out too little…." Ena was in front of Ena with a blackish red aura around her fist. Before Erza could react, Ena slammed her fist into Erza's face, sending Titania flying backwards. Ena wasn't done yet, she was only just beginning. "Now for the move that Father taught me…" Arms spread apart, a large black seal appearing before the female dragon. "Black Dragon's…Darkness Cage!" A pitch black sphere suddenly formed around Erza, beginning to drain her of her vitality and her magic; the only thing Erza could do was let out a constant shout of pain while feeling her very life force being sucked out of her.

"ERZA!"

"Sssssh!" Ena shushed the others with a psychotic grin on her lips. "Erza-senpai is about to go to sleep…I just did her a favor and turned out the lights again. She deserves to rest…I won't let Father enslave her like all the others he wants to. She's too special a human…she's the only one I can save…so she will rest in the darkness until it's all over, then she can awaken…"

"What is she talking about…!?" Kuro stared at the others who were just as lost.

"H-Her mental state…" Meredy gripped her head, groaning in pain while falling to her knees. "I've been trying to ignore it this entire time…but she's too broken…I don't know what Dhegensea did to her but she's lost her mind…!" The link she shared with Ena was now broken, she had to severe it to keep her sanity. "But at the same time…her want to protect Erza…real…no matter how twisted it sounds here."

"What do we do…?" Aira asked.

"Don't underestimate Erza…" Was Juvia's comment.

Erza felt her mind floating in the abyss as everything went dark. She could hear it, however. She heard everyone outside, along with Ena's twisted words. Bottom line, Ena's feelings were genuine, though her current state didn't allow this to show properly. 'The only one you can save…?' That sentence echoed in her mind before she remembered the reason she even wanted to fight Ena in the first place. She wanted to free Ena's free spirit.

 _"_ _Oh and…1 That fight was incredible, Erza-senpai! You had me on the edge of my seat! When you unveiled that armor! And your final stand! I just…!"_

'I won't fall into the darkness…because there is a light inside me that won't ever die…!' Erza's eyes snapped open as another heavenly glow appeared around her body; in that same instant, the sphere of darkness around her was cleaved in half, causing Ena to stagger backwards. "I won't let you sink into the darkness either, Ena!" Erza was in her Wingblade armor and right beside her? A large assortment of swords. "There is a light within you that I won't let die!" By throwing her arms forward, Erza commanded the swords to fly forward at breakneck speeds.

"Why won't you just let me save you!?" Ena questioned in irritation, a somewhat feral look appearing in her eyes as they shifted to a reptilian-like shape. She then sprinted forward while evading the blades, though most of them grazed her skin enough to make marks, it wasn't anything she couldn't handle. "Your blades can't even bring me that much harm! You can't break my skin with this!"

Erza fell to a knee after unleashing her barrage of blades. So much magic and damage was finally catching up to her, but she wasn't done yet. Even though Ena was moving in with what looked like a finishing blow, she did not fret…instead, she wore a soft smile on her lips. "Maybe I can't break your skin…however…my sword is…one that pierces through evil."

Ena was just in front of Erza now, a heavy black aura radiating from her hand. She raised it up…and paused; eyes widened a she felt a sharp sensation of pain in her chest. She couldn't move, the pain was unlike anything she'd ever felt. "W-What…this pain…h-how…"

"…My swords can't hurt you…I don't think anything I do after this will…" Erza said while standing back up. "However…I have one sword that is enough to pierce through your darkness to reach your light. A blade that doesn't have to hit you to strike you. It stabbed right through your weak point." Another light wrapped around Erza, once again entering her Giant's Armor. "This is the best I can do…I can only salvage your light…so Ena…WAKE UP!" Erza swung her armored fist down at Ena's skull, a resounding shockwave occurring on the impact, creating a powerful tremor occurring that shook a small portion of the island. Erza buried Ena's face deep into the earth with the powerful blow, causing her wings and scales to recede; afterwards Erza reverted back to her standard clothing and collapsed onto the ground as her eyes shut. "Please…wake up…"

Ena laid face first in the dirt. She wasn't unconscious for long as she started to stand back up with a groan, causing everyone else to get on guard and fight. Her eyes were still closed which scared everyone the most. "Uh…" Ena's eyes slowly opened, revealing their normal look. She looked lost for a moment before realizing where she was and what she had been doing. "I…" She bit her lips, tears beginning to form in the corner of her eyes as she stared at Erza. "I…I….!"

"Why are you crying…?" Erza groaned as she turned over with a pained smile, managing to sit up. "Those tears…they don't look good on you at all…" Without thinking, Ena moved down and hugged Erza tightly, wailing loudly into her shoulder.

"I'm sorry! I'm so sorry, Erza-senpai! I couldn't control myself! I…I didn't mean to hurt you or your friends! I just wanted to protect you…!" Ena cried, the tears really streaming down her cheeks. This was the first time she'd ever shed tears over a human…or a friend for that matter.

"Sssh…" Erza patted Ena on the back during their hug. "It's okay…I understand…I felt your heart's true intentions as we fought, and I heard your voice. I'm just glad to see that you're finally awake again. I always knew you'd be our ally."

Ena pulled back from the hug with a sad smile on her face. "Thank you, Erza-senpai…for not losing faith in me…"

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Next Time: Revelations.


	35. Chapter 34: Revelations

"That was too close for comfort…" Blues let out a heavy sigh. "Giving us a heart attack over here…!"

"No kidding…" Kuro sighed along with his partner.

"You played that really risky, Erza…That's not good for anyone's health…" Aira scolded Titania while placing her palms over the injured knight, a soft sea-green light emitting from her palms as she began to heal her.

"Juvia wasn't that worried…" Even Juvia had to admit she was a little worried.

"I'm sorry…" Erza let out a nervous laugh. "I know I should've asked for your assistance, Blues…that was a fight I wasn't going to win and I wanted to make sure at least someone else had a chance to protect the others when I fell…"

"You knew you weren't going to win…?" Ena tilted her head while rubbing it at the same time. Her memory of the fight was rather hazy but she wasn't going to forget the splitting headache she had.

"That dragon skin of yours…" Meredy responded. "During the fight, I made a sensory link with you to see how you were feeling every time after Erza struck. I hardly felt anything minus that wound in your chest…but Erza didn't make that. That had to have been there before."

"Not to mention…" Blues crossed his arms while tapping his foot. "It's not often you hear about a black/red/pink dragon with strength such as yours…the hell are you?"

"Ah…" Ena understood as she nodded slowly. "Yes…well. I'm a hybrid. Between my father, the Black Dragon, and my mother, a Red Dragon…as a result, I carry genes from the both of them. It was a real scandal many centuries ago; many thought I was doomed to death because of this…however I proved them wrong. Which is why the residents of the isle hold a great deal of respect for me, it's nice. However, to put it simply…I am the youngest. Kurthnaga is my older brother and is a pure Black Dragon…the near impenetrable skin I have is only shared with him and Dhegensea. Mine is weaker because of an incident when I was young, back when it was a little more fragile…Father's skin is something on an entirely different level…"

"I see…" Erza nodded slowly as Aira finished healing her.

"Wait…but I have one question…" Ena said with an innocently cute expression. "Why in the world did you come back here!? It's too dangerous for you to be here!"

"Yes, we know…" Erza responded. "However…some of our own were left behind for the sake of buying us time, so we had no choice but to return to rescue them. Especially since the Magic Council has decided to use the Etherion Cannon on the island come sunset…"

"The WHAT?!" Ena's eyes widened at this news. "H-He can't blow up this island! Most of the people dragons don't even want to fight…!"

"We know." Meredy nodded. "Which is why we're going to stop Dhegensea before it's too late!"

"Do you remember anything that happened after we left?" Aira questioned the Dragon Princess.

"Well…"

[Flash back: "Escape!"]

"F-Father!?" Ena's eyes were wide with fear as the Fairy Tail and White Eclipse mages retreated. "W-What's going on!?"

"Father, what is this madness…!?" Kurthnaga questioned with the same look as Ena. "Why would you…!?"

"Ah…my innocent children…" Dhegensea began with a soft chuckle. "What you see now is how things are supposed to turn out. Did you honestly believe things would turn out so badly under my watch? No, this is all fate had intended. The humans won't make it out alive."

"Erza-senpai…!" Ena's first thought was Erza. Pink wings spread out from her back and she lunged forward to try and assist the humans in their escape, however she was quickly pinned down by Venoma. "V-Venoma…!? L-Let me go…!?"

"Sorry, Ena hun…" Venoma shook her head while picking Ena up, restraining her by pulling her arms behind her back. "But be a good princess and stay here, this has nothing to do with you for now. Dhegensea, if you please~"

"Stop it…!" Ena struggled in Venoma's hold. Before she could do anything else, Dhegensea snapped her fingers, and there her eyes went, entering that strange look she had when she encountered Erza's team prior to fighting them.

[End flashback]

"So that's what happened to you…" Erza nodded. "I see…and Kurthnaga…?"

"I…I don't know…" Ena shook her head with a small frown. "I do hope he is okay…" She then turned to Erza. "So…if you're back, I assume the others are with you as well. What have I missed…?"

"Well…' Erza began. "We've split up into several teams…most of them are trying to find out where our missing comrades are. Our team is looking for a way inside the city to reach the Mystic Water lake…"

"Mystic Water…!" Ena's eyes lit up with hope. She'd nearly forgotten about it with everything going on. "Of course…with that, you can cure the dragons who've been infected!"

"We especially need it for Cynthia…" Juvia nodded firmly. "The bite she caught from Drake is actually affecting her, so we have to hurry…"

"Cynthia…" Ena chewed her bottom lip for a moment before nodding.

"We also had Hisui with us…" Aira sighed while staring up at the hole in the cave ceiling. "But she was kidnapped."

"Wait, huh…!?" Ena's eyes widened. "W-Wait, huh?! You brought the Princess of Fiore here!? What happened?!"

"She wouldn't take no for an answer. She was planning on speaking with Dhegensea diplomatically; however Mii betrayed us and kidnapped her…" Aira continued.

"What?!" Ena was just in for surprise after surprise today. "Perhaps a kind soul sure as her would be able to convince Father what he's doing is wrong…but Mii? I can't understand her…the last thing I remember her doing was holding her gun to Wendy's head…and the next second after that she flew out of the castle…"

"There's a lot going on…" Blues sighed. "But we don't have the time to pick and choose what we have to do now. We have to complete our mission, we have to sneak into the city and get to the Mystic Water."

"Oh no…" Ena shook her head. "That's a bad idea…the city is crawling with those human-like dragon soldiers under Drake's influence. "You'll never sneak in that way, they'll spot you a mile away."

"Then how do we get in?" Meredy asked.

"Follow me." Ena said with a growing smile. "I know a secret path. It'll lead outside the city but in the end it goes straight to the Mystic Water lake!"

"I knew you'd be a help to us, Ena…" Erza said with a slight nod. "Thank you."

.

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Saint Draco returned to the Magic Council HQ, dusting himself off after ending his Meteor spell. He didn't waste much time heading for Siegrain's office, where the countdown of the Etherion cannon was at 8 hours. Siegrain turned from his window to stare at the Wizard Saint. "Well?"

"He's not budging an inch." Draco said with a slight sigh. "Not only that…but it appears that the plan concerning the Etherion cannon has been leaked."

"They know of the plan?" This seemed to catch Siegrain's attention more than anything else. "Interesting…it seems we had a spy in our midst since the very beginning...how crafty. No matter, things will proceed accordingly. There's no way those dragons are getting off that island anyway."

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.

A boat docked next to the large ship of the Commandants. Hubert stepped off onto the sand while looking around. "So, this is the Isle of the Dragons, hm? How quaint." He commented before staring at the ship, quirking a slight brow of interest. "Oh…? I recognize this ship…I wonder who's been assigned and what it is they're doing…"

"Enough talk!" Another male voice called out. This man was tall and had raven hair and black eyes. This was Masharu (Marshall) Izami, one of the Gemas of Empyrean Dawn. He currently wore an angered visage, probably from the long trip it took from the mainland to the island. "Let's just hurry and finish this mission up. I need to get back to doing Zinnia's laundry."

"You mean stealing her panties again, Lust?" Hubert quipped, though Marsharu chose to ignore that last part.

*Yaaaaawn* a tall blonde female with red eyes exited the ship with a yawn, stretching her arms out. This female was Nina Routlette, the youngest of the Routlette sisters; speaking of her sister, a slightly shorter brunette who had her hair in odd pony tails and had green eyes. This was Julia Roulette, the elder Roulette sister. "Oh, awake too, Jules?"

"When we stopped I assumed we were done sailing…" Julia said while rubbing the sleep from her eyes.

Last but not least, a female with black hair and some yellow strands walked out of the ship, sauntering onto the sands with a hand on her hip. Cecelia Vibius, ranked number 3 of Empyrean Dawn's 8 Z class mages, aka a group of some of their strongest. "My…" Cecelia remarked while staring at the scenery the beach had to offer. "This area is nice. Oh well, we've a mission to do."

.

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"You're quite the stubborn one, Spirit King…" Dhegensea remarked while folding his arms. His body was covered in scratches and marks, but nothing too severe. His skin was far too powerful for the Spirit King to inflict any sort of damage at all…on the other hand; the Spirit King himself was damaged, though he didn't allow this to show. "I don't understand, Spirit King…why do you still fight for these humans…?" Spreading his arms apart, the Dragon King created a sphere of darkness between his palms. "They do nothing but drag everything they touch into everlasting darkness…the Spirit Mage summoned you here to break the darkness…but please realize that the darkness is inescapable. You may have shattered Night Tide…but you will not escape my own personal prison. Black Dragon's…Prison." Arms spread apart a little more before thrusting them forward, sending the small sphere towards the Spirit King. Before he could react, the sphere engulfed him whole.

The Spirit King found himself trapped within the darkness, feeling it leech away at his magic, and as a result, Lucy's magic. If this continued for much longer, he would be putting Lucy in a very dangerous situation, and considering he didn't know her condition right now… "Dragon King…" He began with a low tone. "You ask me why I fight for the humans? It is simple…it is because they are my friends. They are not bound to a piece of paper as you are…The one who summoned me is a very old friend of mine…and today, you are the cause for the tears she is shedding right now." The blade he held began to shine a brilliant golden light. "You are the enemy…and for the sake of my old friend…I will destroy you!" With one slash the darkness prison was broken instantly broken, and the Spirit King wore an angered visage. He then held his blade up, a rainbow aura shrouding the sword as the very sky itself began to open up; just the beginning of the Spirit King's final gambit caused the entire sky and island to quiver violent. Just the light emitting from the sword forced Dhegensea to cover his eyes with his arm to shield them from the light.

"W-What do you think you're doing!?" Dhegensea questioned the Spirit King's insanity. "Do you know what you can do with that level of an attack? Are you TRYING to destroy my island and your 'friends' along with it!?"

As the Spirit King held his blade, he wore a serious expression even with Dhegensea's question. A few seconds passed before the widest grin humanly imaginable crossed his lips. "Grin!"

And in that instant, Dhegensea could see the Spirit King was entirely serious. "…!"

"Meteor Light…" Spirit King raised his sword up high as the golden light shone even brighter, becoming even more noticeable even from the ground. "BLADE!" Swinging the sword down, the tip of the blade caught Dhegensea and sent him rocketing towards the island like a meteor. The effect of the slash created a large shockwave that nearly ripped the island in two, destroyed a large section of the castle and continued on for miles, splitting the ocean in half. Afterwards, the Spirit King let out a hefty sigh before nodding. "I must go now, my old friend…but remember the light inside you. You and your friends together can put an end to this isle…" With that, the Spirit King disappeared back into the Spirit World.

"W-Whoa…!? What the…!?" Drake shielded his eyes from the blinding light coming from the sky. The next thing he knew, most of the castle began to fall apart on itself. More importantly, the falling star that was Dhegensea crashed in the front of the castle courtyard in a blinding explosion of light. When the light finally died down, there was the Dragon King encased in a shell of light with a shocked expression. He wasn't moving.

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"W-whoa whoa whoa whoa…!" Mii staggered as the island shook violently from the Spirit King's final attack. She looked in the sky, forced to shield her eyes from the light escaping the clouds. "What the hell is going on up there?! Can't things go smoothly without me being around? I swear I'm the glue that keeps everything together…!" After the light died down, Mii kept her eyes on the sky, only to see what looked like a meteor crash down in the vicinity of the castle. "Hah…? I wonder what that was…? Whatever, I have my own agenda to attend to right now…."

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.

The earthquake occurring brought up some motion sickness from Sting and Rogue, causing them to teeter back and forth as their faces paled from the sensation. "Ugh…" Sting groaned while attempting to keep his glare on Eizen.

"Don't tell me you two are getting motion sickness from this…!?" Yukino said with a comically shocked expression. She glanced over at Natsu to see if he was experiencing the same feeling, and sure enough he was feeling just as queasy. "Oh my goodness…"

Eizen just stood there with a grin on his lips. Sliver light wrapped around his arm in the shape of a claw. "Well, that's quite unfortunate that a little shiver in the ground is making you sick. I suppose I'll just finish this right here…" Before he could take another step forward, Dhegensea's lack of presence immediately hit Eizen. "…!" He turned back towards the general direction of the castle, allowing the sliver light on his arm to disperse and it was then the tremor died down.

"The quake stopped…" Rogue grunted as he began to feel less queasy.

"It appears we'll have to finish this some other time. There are more pressing matters that require my attention…" While turning Eizen began to walk away, leaving the group on their own.

"Whew…" Yukino let out a sigh of relief.

"Tch…" Sting grit his teeth in annoyance, though it was probably for the best that Eizen left when he did. It was around then that the others started to awaken from their forced slumber. "Oi, is everyone okay!?"

"Ugh…" Selene groaned while rubbing her head. "What the hell happened…?"

"A little water brought you down…" Luke replied with a pained chuckle…and it was then Selene tackle hugged the injured copycat. "S-Selene…!"

"You're alive!" Draco exclaimed.

"Barely…" Luke responded with a heavy sigh. Chelia walked over with a confused expression while beginning to heal both Luke and Lucy.

"Thanks, Chelia…" Lucy was feeling a lot better now that the Spirit King wasn't draining what was left of her magic. Sitting up from Yukino's lap, she pulled out the card given to her by Cana to project a message to the others. "H-Hey everyone…we've found Luke and Natsu, so you don't have to worry about them anymore…! Please update if you can find Laxus, Mira, Takeru, and Leon…" With that, the message cut off.

"So what happened to you two?" Kagura asked Lucy and Luke since they were the most injured out of everyone.

"Before we talk about that…" Lucy winced before staring at Natsu. "Where did you go, idiot!?" Lucy huffed while frowning. "You can't just go jumping off the ship like that!? What if Nasir led you to an ambush or something!?"

"It was fine!" Natsu defended while crossing his arms. "The bastard got away anyway…"

"What happened…?" Sting said while rubbing the back of his head.

"Well…" Natsu paused for a moment. "I caught up to him, but he didn't stay around for long…"

[Flash back]

"Finally caught up to you, you bastard!" Natsu said while pounding his fists together. "Now start talking!"

Nasir chuckled before shrugging, hands tilted up, the poisonous fumes he used before starting to fill the air. "Very well, I'll answer any question you can manage to ask before this toxic air fills your lungs and you die. And to make this deal even better, I won't even tell you a single lie."

Natsu was partially expecting this so he held his breath and Happy did the same. This tactic wasn't going to last for long but it was going to help him last long enough for the two questions he wanted to ask. "First of all, where's Mira?!" Natsu shouted while pointing at Nasir's bloodied hand.

"You're wasting your breath, Fire Dragon…" Nasir said with a small chuckle. "I already told you once before, that I inflicted quite the mortal blow on that demon. This is amount of blood is far too much for a small wound, don't you agree?"

No. Natsu refused to believe Mira would fall so easily, but it was clear Nasir wasn't going to give him a straight answer in his mind. Therefore he asked the other question on his mind; "Why did Drake bite Cynthia!?"

"Oh, that…" Nasir actually rolled his eyes at this because the reasoning was something that annoyed him. "When you invaded Gaius' castle, the original intention was for me to put you humans down with my air and then have Drake bite the little girl. However, he bit her too soon so the Dragonification process began prematurely. Because she was technically turning into a dragon that was the reason you humans won the day, since my air doesn't poison dragons." The way he spoke seemed off…if everything was already prewritten, why did he seem genuinely upset about this? Even Natsu wasn't dumb enough to miss this.

"And about Dhegensea…!" Natsu began, but by then Night Tide started to roll in.

"Ah…I'm afraid your time is up, Fire Dragon…" Nasir said while turning around. While Natsu had difficulty seeing in the darkness, Nasir did not.

"Hey! Come back here…!" Natsu exclaimed in rage, but Nasir was long gone.

[End Flashback]

"So that's what happened…" Lucy nodded in understanding. "Before I share what happened…I have to say first that Mii betrayed us…she kidnapped Hisui under Erza's group's nose…!"

"She did what!?" Since Natsu was just now hearing of this, one could see the actual shock and frustration on his face.

"You mean to tell me…" Luke began. "The one who betrayed us…betrayed us again…why did you give her a second chance?!"

"Long story…there's a lot we need to catch you up on…" Lucy said while giving Luke a slight playful nudge on the shoulder.

.

.

Slowly, dark storm clouds began to roll in over the island. There was no rain, but there was thunder in the distance, along with the occasional flash of lightning. Freed looked into the air with a slight grimace. "It looks like it's going to rain soon…"

.

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Next Time: Distant Thunder


	36. Chapter 35: Distant Thunder

"WHAT!?" Luke's eyes widened as he was delivered the news. "This island is gonna blow?! Whose idea was this!?"

"Siegrain's…" Lucy said with a slight sigh.

"Why did you guys let him get away with such a thing!?" Luke questioned.

"We honestly didn't have much of a choice…" Selene huffed. "You know how much of a snake he can be. He slipped it in just before things were over."

"But it doesn't matter!" Natsu spoke with a confident grin. "Because we're going to settle things before the cannon can fire. We still got plenty of time to make Dhegensea and his lackeys pay!"

"You sure seem as enthusiastic as ever, Natsu-san…" Sting said with a slight chuckle. "But that only begets the question…how do we begin…?"

"We head right to the city and storm that castle!" Natsu exclaimed.

"No." Kagura immediately shot down Natsu's idea. "That's stupid; we'll basically be rushing to our death if we followed your ideas. We should wait until the others have been found before acting on such reckless ideals."

"That was harsh…" Happy said with a small frown.

"But, Kagura-sama, we can't stay in this place…it's far too dangerous…" Yukino pointed out. "As Lucy-sama said, there are those people in white coats likely lurking around the island…"

"White coats you say?" There was Mii, standing on a small incline while staring down at the others, one hand placed on her hip.

"Mii!?"

"Hi, hi!" Mii waved while giving off a smile. "There you guys are, I've been looking alllll over for you…"

"Enough nonsense." Kagura said while placing a hand on the hilt of Archenemy. "We know you're a traitor. So come down quiet or I will cut you down myself."

"Yeesh…" Mii let out a heavy sigh while tipping her hat off to the others. "Guess I can't pull the wool over your eyes again, huh?"

"I fail to see why you're speaking so casually to us…" Selene glared daggers towards the female. "What are you trying to do to us this time, huh?"

"Wow!" Mii held her hands up as though Selene's words actually offended her. They might have, it was hard to tell with this woman. "Must you assume that every action I do is geared towards making you all suffer!? What do you take me for?"

"A liar." Chelia innocently spoke.

"A traitor?" Lucy followed right after Chelia.

Mii actually cringed from those words, placing a hand on her chest to overdramatize her pain. "Ouch, those words cut deep into my heart…"

"Wow you guys were wrong about her…" Luke said with a heavy sigh. "She's even MORE annoying about this than you made her out to be!"

"Oh, I see you found the cute guy again-" Having enough of Mii's nonsense, Kagura used her magic to increase the field of gravity around the opposing female, forcing to her fall flat on her face on the ground. "Eep..!"

"I said cut your crap." Kagura spoke in a low tone, the aura emanating from the female sending shivers down some of the group's spines. "Explain what it is you're doing here, NOW."

"Wow she's kinda frightening…" Raven chuckled nervously while pulling at his collar.

"Kagura-sama can be very scary when she wants to be…" Yukino said with a nervous smile.

"O-Okay…geez…let a girl breathe!" Mii groaned while lifting her head up to stare at the others. Kagura wasn't letting her go any time soon however until she started talking. "Okay, okay…I'll talk."

"Where's the princess?" Kagura questioned.

At that question, a nervous sweat drop appeared on Mii's forehead as she giggled slightly. "Yeah, about thaaaaaat….I did have her in my arms…but then…I kinda…lost her…"

"YOU LOST HER!?" Lucy's eyes widened at the news. "How do you lose a woman!?"

"You don't cherish her properly." Mii responded with a half shrug.

"That ISN'T WHAT I MEANT!" Lucy groaned at how Mii could still be difficult as all hell even when pinned down. "You know what I mean, Mii!"

"Hey, it's true isn't it?!" Mii responed with a grin, of course her remark granted her a brief increase in gravity strong enough to send her into the ground. "Hey, cut it out! You're getting my skirt dirty!"

"How did you deal with her…?" Sting asked while looking over at Natsu, Lucy, and Happy.

"We didn't." Happy replied.

"If you MUST know how the lovely Hisui was kidnapped…you see, after I had her in my hands and Erza's group took a lovely trip underground…it turns out that she's a little more feisty than I thought and it surprised me in more ways than one…"

"I'd say she needs to get laid but I don't think that will help this kind of behavior…" Luke sighed, catching one the undertones behind Mii's statement.

Mii merely responded to Luke's statement with a playful wink before continuing. "Boy, you should've seen her. She really got Drake riled up and it looked like he was about to take her out. I tried to stop him but before anything else could happen, some really attractive dude wearing a white coat came in and saved her!"

"A white coat…?!" Lucy's eyes widened, her mind wandering to Laura, Lex, and Wes, all of whom wore white coats.

"We had to retreat, that guy was on a whole other level of strong. Plus we couldn't harm the Princess, since I did want to bring her to Dhegensea. But who knows where she is now?" Mii replied as her tone dropped to something a little more serious. "So I was looking for her while you and the dragons squared off. I was gonna bring her right back, I promise!"

"It looks like we've to clean up your mess…" Rogue sighed silently.

"Hey, if she was holding Hisui…" Lector interjected. "Shouldn't her scent be on her? We can track her that way, right?! We've got Sting-kun and Rogue!"

"Fro thinks so too!" Frosch put his hand up with his usual grin.

"What am I, chopped liver?!" Selene stared at Frosch and Lector with a slight tick mark on her forehead.

"Good idea." Kagura nodded in agreement. She used her gravity to literally drag Mii from the incline she was on to the ground right in front of them.

"Well, fancy meeting you here…" Mii said with a groan, dizzy from her little trip.

"Let's see…" Natsu moved in close to Mii, only to be repelled by some foul odor coming from the female. He held his nose, letting out a groan while his eyes began to water comically. "Ugh…! What the hell is that smell!?"

"Oh, that's my perfume!" Mii grinned. "Do you like it?"

"So that's what that smell is…" Draco said while pinching his nose.

"How convenient…" Kagura tsked. With such a foul odor coming from Mii there was no chance the dragon slayers could track Hisui. "Where's Erza and her group?

"Oh…they should be dealing with Princess Ena by this point. If anything I'm sure Erza-san has the situation under control." Mii then stood up and dusted herself off. "But, I do remember exactly where it was the kidnapping occurred. You should let me lead the way!"

"And let you lead us into ANOTHER trap? I don't think so!" Lucy took a step forward to glare at Mii however she almost lost her balance due to her injuries. "We can find her on our own!"

"While that may be true, Lucy-chan…" Mii began sauntering around everyone, placing a hand under her chin as her green eyes stared elsewhere. "Don't look at me like I'm the only enemy here. Those guys in white coats are also on this island, and we have no idea what they're planning. It's better that we join forces to ensure they won't be a threat, right?"

"The enemy of my enemy…" Kagura said while placing her hand on Archenemy once again. "Is not always my friend."

"If I lead you into a trap, what makes you think I can take all of you?" Mii brought up this point while pointing to Luke and Lucy. "I could make it past those two easy, no surprise since they had a fight. But the rest of you? I don't think I'm that strong. Plus, I'm also quite amazing and talented if you didn't notice."

"Amazing?" Chelia tiled her head.

"Talented?" Raven followed suit.

"I think she just lied to us twice..." Lucy said with a stale expression.

"Ouch…" Safe to say that Mii actually felt that one sting.

"I don't think we'll have another chance to keep her in our sights if we let her go now…" Yukino mumbled.

"Keep your friends close, and your enemies' closer…that's the saying, right?" Mii shrugged. "So, whaddya say? Wanna tag along with lil ol' Mii again to save the Princess? Plus, it's about to rain…" She said while pointing up at the cloudy sky. "Unless you want to get sick while debating this, I suggest we move out, eh?"

.

.

Ena lead Erza's team out of the underground caverns to a rocky area just outside the city walls. "Ah, sunlight…I haven't been outside in a day…" Ena spoke with a small laugh before glancing at the city, tilting her head at the partially destroyed castle she could see. "W-What happened over there?"

"Did it have something to do with that earthquake earlier…?" Aira questioned while tilting her head.

"What even WAS that earthquake?" Blues asked.

"Who knows…" Meredy shrugged. "But maybe a good portion of Dhegensea's forces were taken out?"

"We shouldn't spend too much time wondering…" Juvia said.

"Yeah, she's right…" Ena nodded while continuing to lead the way. "This route is a little long, but we can circle around the city…and there should be a cave in the middle of a rocky landscape that will lead to the other side of the Mystic Water Lake in the castle. Only a few know of the passage…if we hurry we can be there in…a few hours…."

"A FEW HOURS?!"

Ena was partially expecting such a reaction. Considering they were already running low on time. "I-I know it seems like a bit much…but it's much safer and quicker than going through the heart of the city…everyone's probably over there after that earthquake…and I don't feel father's presence right now…"

"Something big must've happened while we were underground…" Kuro muttered.

"No time to waste in thinking about it…" Ena sighed, her thoughts wandering to her brother whom she hadn't seen for a while. She could only hope Kurthnaga was okay…

.

.

"O-Oi…" Drake said while placing a hand on the shell of light around Dhegensea, only for a burning sensation to repel him. "Ouch…!" He leapt back, waving his hand to remove the sensation. "Geez…what the hell…"

"How could this have happened to our King…?!" Venoma placed two fingers on both temples, rubbing them in a desperate manner. "How did the Spirit King get the upper hand so quickly…?!"

"What's the issue? Where is Dhegensea?" Eizen arrived, and Nasir did shortly after him. "And where is Edna, she was supposed to stay here…"

"The annoying one took off after Night Tide faded…" Drake said with a scoff before pointing to Dhegensea. "As for the King…he did battle with the Celestial Spirit King, and it ended like this. He's not responding and it doesn't look like we can even touch it…"

"So that Celestial Female was capable of summoning the Spirit King after all…I knew I should've kept a closer eye on her…" Nasir sighed. "Dealing with the she-demon proved to be far more time consuming than I would've liked…she did decimate a lot of your forces, Drake. You should've kept them in line."

"Don't push that on me!" Drake yelled with an angered tick-mark appearing on his forehead, gritting his fangs at Nasir. "You're the one who swore she wouldn't be a problem at the time! I suggested that we just take all my forces and storm the mainland!"

"You idiot…" Venoma sighed while nearly thwacking Drake on the head. "You know we can't do that! That stupid mage put up the barrier so none of us dragons can leave this island. For Rune Magic, those words are surprisingly sturdy. You should've seen Nasir trying to bust it down!"

Nasir shook his head to ignore Venoma's comment. "We've been imposed with several problems…the Chosen is acting on her own, those people in white coats who've invaded our island…and it appears that Princess Ena is no longer under the influence of her father, who is now trapped in a shell of light. Without Dhegensea we do not know of which events will plan out in our favor…"

Drake then stood up, grinning like a madman. "Hey, I got an idea!" This caused everyone to turn to Drake. "Since Princess Ena's gone rogue and is helping the other side…how about we send 'him' to deal with her group? They can't reach that Mystic Water otherwise we lose most of our offensive forces and that little girl…she should be a dragon by now but for some reason…"

"Yes, sending him should prove to be effective…" Nasir nodded in agreement. "At the very least, we can slow them down. In the meantime, only a few of us should act. Because those other humans are going to be tearing at each other…so it will be the perfect time to sit back and watch how this plays out while we wait for Dhegensea to break out of this shell. So humans…let's see how you handle yourselves when there are more than two players on the field…"

.

.

Thunder boomed out in the area over a large plain. Immediately, Pantherlily placed his hands over his ears to shield himself from the noise. "D-Does it have to thunder now of all times…?" He questioned in slight panic.

"Oh Lily…" Levy let out a small sigh while picking the Exceed up into her arms, hoping to comfort him from the noise. "It's nothing I'm sure…you can brave through it!"

"It's going to rain soon…" Freed concluded. "We might catch a cold if we stay out for too long…but we can't afford to take a break."

"There's so much going on, I don't think we can even slow down for a second…" Lisanna said while rubbing the back of her head. "But I do hope we find Mira-nee soon…I won't believe what Nasir said even for a second, she's not dead, I know she isn't…"

"Don't worry Lisanna, we'll find her." Elfman gave a firm nod while placing his hand on Lisanna's shoulder.

"And you already know that Laxus is lurking out here somewhere…" Bickslow spoke while looking around. "If only he'd come out of hiding, it's only us!"

"Giehe, guess he's just hiding in fear of me showing him up…!" Gajeel commented with a large grin. His grin then faded as he sensed something incredibly off. "Wait a second…" In that instant, several large stalagmites popped from the ground, trailing towards the group at rapid speeds. "Shrimp, get down!" Without thinking Gajeel grabbed Levy and Lily, diving off to the side while the others evaded. He then stood up, glaring in the direction where the stalagmites came from.

Lex stood a few yards away with his blade hoisted over his shoulder, a yellow-orange aura emitting from his being. "I sensed a strong power level in this area…are any of you the bearer of this aura?"

"Who the hell is this guy!?" Elfman grunted while standing in front of Lisanna.

"A guy in a white coat…" Evergreen responded.

Levy stared at Lex before realizing where she'd heard of his figure before. "H-Hey! This is one of the people who attacked Lu-chan when we were first here!"

"So another bad guy, huh?" Gajeel gave a fangy smirk before darting forward, pulling his arm backwards. "Iron Dragon's Pole!" Thrusting his arm forward, it morphed into a metal pole while racing towards Lex at incredible speeds. The bulky male evaded the attack by leaning to the side, but this merely caused Gajeel's smirk to widen as he created several more iron poles from the preexisting one.

Lex scoffed and brought his arm up to defend against the strike, not even batting an eye towards Gajeel's strength. "Clear it does not belong to you."

"Oh yeah!?" Gajeel took this as a challenge. Pulling his arm back, he then allowed iron scales to form along his arms. "Iron Dragon's Hard Fist!" Swinging his arm forward, he aimed a brutal punch right for Lex's chin. It was a direct hit and Lex's head was forced to snap from the side from the impact, however he did not so much as flinch from the blow itself. "Wha!?"

Lex gripped his blade, swinging it down fiercely in attempt to strike Gajeel. The iron dragon dodged just in the nick of time, staring in awe as Lex's raw strength allowed his sword to cleave through the ground, splitting it apart for almost a mile on end. Before Gajeel could do anything else Lex dragged his blade forward and slammed the blunt end into Gajeel's chest, hurling the iron dragon into a boulder that shattered on impact. "Indeed."

"GAJEEL!" Levy nearly screamed in worry. But she had more important things to worry about as Lex was towering above her, causing the color in her face to drain.

"Your power is the weakest one in the area. I will squash you first." Lex's hand slowly went towards Levy, though he was stopped by a fully transformed Pantherlily grabbing onto his arm. "Oh?" Lily had full intentions of throwing Lex, but the Commandant turned the situation around and threw Lily into Elfman and Lily, the force of his throw sending the three tumbling back a far distance. "Where is this strong power I felt!? I know it's here!" With his roar, an aura appeared around Lex as his strength began to rise; the wind picked up fiercely at the intensity of his aura forced anyone nearby backwards.

"Is he getting stronger?!" Freed questioned while bringing his arm up to shield his eyes from the wind. The thunder boomed once again and there was a brief flash of lightning.

"This is a problem; we can't let him stay like this!" Evergreen took the initiative while summoning her wings, flying forward while throwing her fan forward, sending multiple bullets of Fairy Magic towards Lex. The amount would overwhelm any normal mage. "Fairy Machine Gun: Leprechaun!" The bullets reached their target, though the result was completely unexpected. Lex's aura completely repelled the bullets, causing them to bounce off the male harmlessly. "W-What!? They didn't even touch him!"

"Your weak attacks have no effect on me!" Lex exclaimed while dashing forward, slamming the blunt side of his sword into Evergreen's side, driving her right into the ground with a quake occurring afterwards.

"EVER!" Bickslow and Freed exclaimed in worry. Without another thought, Bickslow placed his dolls before him, all of their mouths radiating with Seith Magic. "Okay Babies, let's go! Line formation!" Each of Bickslow's dolls then expelled a powerful emerald beam, all five of them converging on Lex at once. An explosion occurred and a veil of smoke shrouded the Commandant from view.

"Did you get him…?" Freed questioned. The answer was soon found as a tremor occurred and a stalagmite appeared under Bickslow, sending the mage flying backwards. "Bickslow!" Freed called out in worry, though he had to worry about Commandant coming closer with his blade held back. The rune mage quickly pulled his sword out to clash with Lex, though it only lasted for a mere second as Freed's blade was quickly swatted from his hands. Lex then slammed his fist into the opposing male's chest, driving Freed into the ground with force.

"That's enough of your unmanly actions!" Elfman roared while attempting to bum rush Lex from behind, using his Beast Arm: Iron Bull to aim a punch at Lex's temple. The red haired male turned sharply, aiming his elbow at Elfman's face to send him spiraling backwards.

"Elf-nii!" Lisanna cried out while staying near Levy. The thunder and lightning both intensified and it began to drizzle.

"What the hell is this guy…?" Gajeel groaned while slowly pulling himself from the rubble. He was only hit once and it felt like he was hit by a speeding train.

"I am Lex, one of the 13 Commandants of Pergrande. I am number 8." Lex spoke while placing his blade over his shoulder. His attention then went to the downed Freed, picking the male up by his shirt. "Ah, I've heard of you. You're the rune mage that built the barrier surrounding this entire island, are you not?"

"S-So what if I am…?" Freed growled.

"You see…for our plans, we cannot allow this barrier to prevent the dragons from leaving. Therefore, I'm demanding that you remove the barrier." As Lex spoke, the thunder and lightning continued to grow stronger.

"Over my dead body." Freed spat in Lex's face. He knew that barrier was the only reason the dragons had yet to raid the mainland, and putting it down spelt doom for Fiore and Earthland. "What do you need the barrier down for? Are you working with the dragons!?"

Unfortunately for Freed, the only thing Lex heard was 'over my dead body'. "That can be arranged." Lex then brought his other hand up to grasp Freed's head, beginning to squeeze tightly. "I'll just pop your head like a grape."

"Freed…!" Bickslow and Evergreen cried out.

The lightning in the sky flashed brightly and the thunder echoed throughout the entire island. In a flash a bolt of lightning dropped down from the sky, right onto Lex's hand. This was enough to cause the mighty Lex to jump backwards, letting out a 'tsk' from the numbing sensation in his hands. "WHO DARES!?" Standing between Freed and Lex was a tall figure…his coat wavered in the wind while his bulky arms hung at his sides. Laxus Dreyar held up one fist as lightning began dancing around his body. The others could only stare in awestruck wonder as the youngest Dreyar made his timely appearance. Laxus' appearance didn't faze Lex…instead; it caused the Commandant to grin. "So that power I felt…it was coming from you…"

"Y'know…this island is freakin' huge. I wasn't sure which way I should be going if I wanted to find everyone else." Laxus spoke the others before turning to Lex. "So you're the one that gave flame brain and Lucy a hard time, huh…? Didn't know your fashion choices were so atrocious…But I do know one thing…" His gaze shifted to a threatening glare that could paralyze even the fiercest of mages. "I don't have any doubts on killing you."

.

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Next Time: When Lightning Strikes!


	37. Chapter 36: When Lightning Strikes

"All this thunder and lightning…" Blues sighed though smiled as the rain fell down. "Makes me wonder what the occasion is. Does it usually rain this much on the island?"

"Mmm…" Ena paused before shaking her head. "Only when there are heavy rainstorms or floods down below. The clouds are much higher then so we get some rain…but usually never thunder or lightning…" It was then a bolt of lightning dropped down on a location a few miles away, causing Ena's eyes to widen. "T-That doesn't happen either!"

At that, Erza and Juvia exchanged knowing glances before giving a nod. "I don't think you have to worry about that stray bolt of lightning…because when he strikes, he strikes hard."

"Huh…?" Ena was the only one confused by Erza's statement.

"I think we should keep moving!" Aira said with a soft smile. "We don't have all day…" She said this to distract herself from wondering about Leon and Takeru's whereabouts.

"Rain is usually a sign of a bad omen…" Kuro muttered, though Blues shushed him quickly.

"I do hope everyone is okay…" Juvia said while poking her fingers together. "The Princess is still in danger…and Gray-sama is still with Cana-san…" Oh, she started boiling as her thoughts wandered to what those two could be doing all alone in the rain—

And Meredy thwacked Juvia on the back of the head to snap her out of it. "Focus, Juvia."

"R-Right…" Juvia rubbed the back of her head. The thoughts were still there but the task at hand was arguably more important. "Hold on, Cynthia-san…"

"Well…well…" A familiar voice made itself known through the pitter patter of the rain. Everyone looked around before glancing into the air. Kurthnaga slowly descended from the sky, black and red wings sprouted from his shoulders. The dragon prince landed on the ground just in front of Erza's group, arms folded over his chest. "Didn't think I'd find you over here, sister."

"Kurthnaga!" Ena's face immediately lit up with a smile and she started to run to her brother. "I'm so glad you're safe!" She then halted, Erza pulling on her arm. "E-Erza-senpai, what are you doing…?"

"Just where have you been this entire time, Kurthnaga?" Erza questioned with a stern tone.

"Huh…?" Kurthnaga blinked, tilting his head innocently while staring at Erza. "Whatever do you mean by that, Erza?"

"Ena here was trapped underground and placed under your father's spell…" Erza said while continuing to stare at Kurthnaga. "What's your story, Kurthnaga? Where have you been this entire time?" As Titania continued to question Kurthnaga, the others began to slide into offensive stances except for Ena, who stood there with a shocked look on her face.

"K-Kurth…" Ena's voice sounded like she desperately needed him to counter these claims.

"For a human…you're very perceptive…If you weren't here I can only imagine how much easier this would be…" Kurthnaga said while closing his eyes, letting out a heavy sigh. His eyes then opened, showing a reptilian-like form similar to what Ena had when the group first ran into her. In the next second he took off, speeding across the ground while darkness enveloped his dominate arm which he reared back. "Black Dragon's Claw!" And his target was none other than Erza…however his blow was blocked by Ena. "…Ena."

"Kurth." Ena scowled at her brother as her wings sprouted from her back. "Stop this. You know Father is out of commission right now, right? We shouldn't be fighting; we should be working with Erza-senpai and the humans to fix this situation!"

"That's the problem…" Kurthnaga said while leaping backwards, taking off into the sky, Ena following right alongside him. "Father is absolutely correct in his ideals. The humans deserved to be ruled over!" The two siblings clashed once again, a shockwave booming out as a result.

"He must be under Dhegensea's control too…!" Meredy exclaimed.

"But even then at least Ena's real personality showed…" Aira gasped once she had a small realization. "And if that's the case, then that must mean…"

"Kurthnaga actually feels the same way!?" Juvia stared at Aira with widened eyes.

"It may not be the truth…but his words…" Aira nodded slowly. "Ena, we're here to help! We can snap him out of it!"

"There's no time!" Ena shouted while swiftly evading a claw from Kurthnaga, immediately bringing her leg down for an axe kick that sent the dragon prince hurtling down towards the ground. "You all have to get to the Mystic Water Lake no matter WHAT! I will deal with my brother!" Just as she said that, Kurthnaga flew from the ground and slammed his fist into her stomach, the force sending her hurtling through the sky. "Gah!" Flipping the princess caught herself while staring at the others briefly. "Just follow the path and keep going! NOW!"

"We better see you when we get there!" Erza practically demanded as the others ran off.

With the humans out of the way, Ena allowed her scales to form along her arms and brought forth her claws. "Kurth, please. I don't want to hurt you. Do you really feel this way…?"

"Humans should be ruled, as Father says…" Kurthnaga nodded slowly. "I hope you don't intend on fighting me though, Ena."

"Why not? You could never beat me when we were play fighting when we were younger. What's different now? I'm seriously going to beat you into the ground if you don't snap out of it." Ena responded while a pink and black aura radiated from around her being, a black and red aura matched from Kurthnaga. The Dragon Prince and the Dragon Princess were about to do battle.

.

.

Hisui and Lucius were unable to find any shelter from the drizzle. As a result the Jade Princess felt her cold striking back. She sneezed and coughed, letting out a small groan in the progress. "Ugh…"

"This rain will never do…" Lucius sighed while removing his coat, revealing his muscular and toned body. He then put his coat around Hisui to keep her warm, making sure to put the hood over her head. "There, this should keep you warm, Princess." He then shook his head to remove some of the water stuck in his pink locks.

"Ah…" Hisui wasn't sure if it was the fever talking or what but Lucius was starting to get more and more attractive by the second. She shook her head, knowing it was a terrible idea to be attracted to someone currently deemed an enemy, but there was just something about him that she couldn't resist. "T-Thanks…" She sniffled, letting out a heavy sigh due to her stuffy nose. She then sneezed, the hood flying off her head. In that instant a bullet hit the ground right beside her, causing her to jump and shriek. "Wh-What on earth!?"

"Oh, it appears we've some people from afar trying to take your pretty little head off…" Lucius frowned while swinging his scythe forward. The motion seemed to cause several bolts of lightning to drop down on an area, creating a wall of fire. "Let's hurry off before they shoot again."

.

.

[A few minutes prior]

Reve's team was scoping out the area from a tall hill. The gunslinger requipped his sniper, scanning the immediate area for any signs of enemies. Currently, he didn't see a single thing and the rain wasn't helping. "It's been quiet after the darkness faded. Too quiet."

"You wanna do something about this rain?" Milliana asked Jaxon with a very displeased expression. Cats did hate water after all.

And to that, Jaxon merely shook his head. "Not really. I think a little refreshing drizzle is nice for the soul. The sound of thunder relaxes me."

"I fail to see how…" Milliana grumbled.

"See anything, Reve?" Cygnus questioned while peering curiously over the S class's shoulder.

"No, and stop breathing over my shoulder." Reve ordered and Cygnus stepped back. It was then the raven haired male noticed someone in a white coat. From the information he had so far, those in white coats were branded enemies, so imagine the grin on the cocky male's lips when he saw this. "A free target…right in my sights…" The crosshairs went right to the hooded head of the person…Reve's finger squeezed the trigger, sending the bullet right for a clean shot. However Hisui sneezed and her head lurched forward while her hood flew off. "…! What!?"

"Is that the…" Melody stared but stopped with the lightning strikes raining down on them, creating the wall of flames that blocked all sights. "Gah!?"

Lyon was quick to swing his arm forward, creating a glacier that snuffed out the flames and allowed the ice to shatter. When he looked down he saw nothing. "What was that about…?"

"What's the beautiful Princess doing parading around with a white coat on?" Hibiki frowned. There were some pieces of information they clearly weren't aware of. "Doesn't she know that's the unhandsome attire of the enemy?"

"There was someone else with her," Reve clarified. "I didn't see who it was, but whoever it is has to be the real enemy here. If the Princess is alone with them, which must mean it's for her own safety."

"Even though you nearly sniped her…" Melody had to be the one to bring that point up.

Reve grit his teeth in slight annoyance. If Hisui hadn't sneezed just then things could've been very bad. It was the one weakness to his Precision Eyes. While he had excellent sight, he couldn't actually see through anything. "They couldn't have gotten too far. Let's hurry and see if we can find them."

.

.

"Oh!" While traversing back through the jungle, Mii clapped her hands together as she suddenly realized something. "I just remembered! There's something important you all should proooooobably hear about."

Kagura kept a close eye on Mii, making sure to keep the woman within Archenemy's range in case she tried anything. "What is it?"

"SO…y'know how the council is planning on blowing up this island in a few hours? I may have…kinda…told Dhegensea about that." Mii giggled to soften the shock, but it didn't stop Kagura from intensifying the gravity so much Mii's head was in the wet ground. "Mmmmmmph!"

"I can NOT believe you!" Lucy threw her arms up in irritation. "You and your big mouth…what is it good for!?"

Mii popped her head from the ground while giving Lucy a suggestive smile. She opened her mouth to speak but was stopped by Luke interrupting her. "Oh no, you're not answering that one. We've children around here."

"I'm 16!" Chelia huffed.

"I'm 17!" Raven followed right along Chelia.

"She really is annoying…" Selene let out a heavy sigh, trying to restrain herself from punching Mii in the face.

"I don't understand what the big deal is…I really wanted to know what she had to say…" Draco's shoulders slumped as he was going to spend a while wondering what it was Mii had to say.

"It's better if you didn't know…" Yukino said while rubbing her arm awkwardly. "I don't what to know either."

.

.

Laxus and Lex stood in a standoff in the rain. There was a breeze that caused Laxus' infamous coat to waver. "You're the one who hurt them, aren't you?" Laxus said while staring at his injured guild mates. "Not just them, but that idiot Natsu and Lucy, too."

Lex's grin widened at Laxus' inquiry. "Yes I did. And that blonde is a person of interest to the other Commandants."

Unfortunately for Lex, Laxus stopping listening once he said yes. Lightning coated the youngest Dreyar's body and he zipped forward while pulling his arm back. "That's all I needed to hear!" Before Lex could react, Laxus slammed his fist into the opposing male's jaw, sending the white coat staggering backwards. Not even giving his opponent any chance to breathe, Laxus continued the assault, using Lightning Body to fly in a zig-zag pattern before pulling his leg back, aiming it at Lex's temple.

"Ha…!" Lex laughed from the strength of Laxus' blow. Regaining his footing, he quickly brought his forearm up to block Laxus' kick, though the force did force him to slide to the side a few feet. "This is an opponent I've been waiting for! Something strong!" With his free hand the Commandant swung his blade towards Laxus, but Laxus quickly evaded, appearing faster than a bolt of lightning. "W-What!? Where did he go!?"

Laxus was above Lex rapidly closing the distance while placing his hands together and fingers interlocked as electricity danced around his conjoined hands. "Lightning Dragon's Jaw!"

"Wha…!?" Lex looked up with widened eyes, but it was too late to do anything. Laxus fiercely swung his hands down, the electric hammerfist striking Lex directly on the head and forced him into the ground where a powerful electrical discharge occurred. There stood Laxus with his arms folded; standing just in front of the smoke filled crater he created with Lex.

"Holy shit…" Gajeel stood there wide eyed at Laxus' strength. Just a few moments ago Lex was running through all of them and here was Laxus making him look like a pansy in two direct hits.

"That's Laxus for ya…" Freed said with a pained grin.

"Did he get him…?" Lisanna asked while peering into the smoke.

All was quiet for a few moments before Lex let out a loud roar. His aura expanded, instantly clearing the smoke while forcing Laxus away a few feet. "Yes, show me your strength! It's been a long time since I've felt an attack hurt like that!" Just as before, the more his aura expanded, the stronger he became.

"The hell is this guy…?" Laxus muttered under his breath before wincing slightly. He didn't show it, but he was still holding some injuries while the others were away. It didn't look like anyone noticed just yet. Shaking his head, he held up one fist as lightning began to dance around it. "I'll just have to hit you harder." Lunging forward, Laxus pulled his fist back while Lex did the same, the two mirroring each other. "Iron Fist of the Lightning Dragon!" The two males threw their fists forward, clashing in the middle. Their clash created a shockwave that boomed out, tearing apart a large section of the terrain. The stalemate resulted in a large explosion that forced the lightning dragon slayer backwards. "Gah…"

"Come ON!" Lex bellowed, wanting more from Laxus. Immediately the Commandant rushed forward and slammed his fist into Laxus' chest, causing S class to stumble backwards. "GIVE ME MORE!" He then leapt into the air with his sword raised high over his head; his goal was to bring it down right on Laxus. "HYRAH!"

Laxus used Lightning Body to evade the downward swing. Though the physical blow missed, Lex's impact with the ground caused a powerful earthquake that affected everything for miles. Not only this, but the ground shattered and large rocks flew in all directions. "He's just a raging bull…He doesn't have a plan of attack and just rushes in, and like Natsu he's becoming too dangerous to keep conscious for too long." Laxus mumbled while swiftly evading all the rocks coming his way before touching down on the ground. The others had to flail and move about to avoid being crushed. "Is that all you got? Here I thought you were actually strong."

"This is only the beginning of my strength!" Lex roared as his aura continued to expand, causing his strength to rise exponentially. He then reeled his arm backwards before hurling it forward, sending his axe-blade hurtling towards Laxus at incredible speeds. Laxus waited until the last second before roughly swatting the weapon away with his bare arm to send it crashing into the ground. Though such a defense would cost him his arm it was worth it; as Laxus focused on the weapon Lex came in with both hands at his sides, grinning as he believe he finally had the upper hand on Laxus. "I'm over here!"

Laxus was well aware of the incoming Lex. Once Lex was too close, it all seemed over…but Laxus merely popped his jaw open, unleashing a potent bolt of lightning from his mouth. "Lightning Dragon's Roar!" The bolt of lightning sent Lex soaring into the air; a direct hit that would surely finish off anyone else.

"Is that it!?" Lily questioned while watching Lex flip helplessly in the air.

"I don't think so…" Evergreen uttered.

Evergreen was correct, this battle wasn't over by a long shot. Lex flipped in the air and his aura expanded once again, nearly covering the entire cloudy horizon around them. With a wicked grin, all of Lex's momentum shifted and he began to nose dive towards Laxus at a breakneck pace, cutting through the air. "RAAAAH!"

"Shit!" Laxus didn't think his opponent would be this crazy. With no other options left for anyone else's sake, he crossed his arms and prepared for impact. Lex slammed against his arms and the second impact occurred there was a large explosion that tore apart the landscape. Everyone else had to hold onto their ground to prevent from being flung away by the sheer intensity of Lex's strike. When the trembling ceased, Laxus was seen on a knee, breathing heavily in order to catch his breath from such a horrifyingly strong attack.

"Come now, surely you're stronger than this!" Lex taunted while pulling his axe-blade up from the ground, swinging it at Laxus' ribcage right after. It was a devastating direct hit that caused the lightning slayer to tumble along the ground before stopping on his stomach.

"LAXUS!" The Raijinshu shouted whilst attempting to pick themselves up.

"You don't gotta worry about me…" Laxus grunted while bringing himself to a knee, then back to his feet, panting heavily while hunched over. "I'm fine."

"Oh?" Lex raised a curious brow. "You still have the strength to continue?"

Laxus's serious expression never faded. Instead he brought up one fist which was coated in lightning. "I'll always have enough strength to put down the bastards who hurt my guild. All the strength I need right now is in this fist." Laxus didn't get a verbal response. Lex just narrowed his eyes as a cold sweat started to form on his forehead. "Do you think you're strong enough to withstand this next punch?"

.

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Next Time: Roaring Thunder.


	38. Chapter 37: Roaring Thunder

"Y-You…" Lex grit his teeth at Laxus' audacity. "You really think a single punch it capable of taking me down?! You're an idiot! My strength far surpasses yours!"

"Oh?" Laxus quirked a brow. This was normally the part where he expected Lex to come charging in headfirst like he always did. Why was this time so different? "That's strange…just a few minutes ago, it didn't matter what I was throwing at ya. You just came barreling in with no regard for safety…why the cold feet this time?"

Laxus was really beginning to push Lex's buttons. The red headed male was nearly fuming as Laxus accused him of hesitating. "How dare you!? I wanted to fight a strong opponent, not someone who makes a ridiculous bluff when they're cornered!"

"You think this is a bluff?" Laxus questioned with a widening smirk. "Why don't you bring that ass over here so we can see if I'm really bluffing or not. You think you're so strong, right? So why don't you come over here and punch me?"

"This is one hell of a standoff…" Gajeel muttered, annoyed that Laxus was capable of making the entire fight freeze while he struggled with a foe.

"What's he planning…?" Levy thought to herself. "He's only angering him more…"

"You want me to strike back!?" Lex questioned while letting out another roar. His already huge aura continued to expand, nearly covering the entirety of the plain. The windstorm kicked up was fierce and it was almost as if his increase caused the rain to increase. "You think I'm afraid of someone weaker than me!?"

Laxus stood his ground as Lex's aura continued to grow stronger; his coat still remaining on his shoulders while his expression remained confident. "That's funny…usually big guys like us don't pull a power boost like that unless they feel threatened…are you feeling…afraid?"

He asked it. That one question that any mage of this caliber hated to be asked. Once the words passed through Laxus' lips, Lex's eyes turned red from pure anger. "Y-You….HOW DARE YOU!? I FEAR NOTHING!" Once again, the aura exploded around Lex, rising high into the sky while the ground began to tremble violently from the sheer power he contained. "My power has NO LIMITS AND I WILL NOT BE STOPPED!"

"W-Why are you pissing him off more…!?" Lily exclaimed.

"What is he doing…?!" Lisanna looked to the others for an answer but it looked like they came up with nothing.

"You want a punch?" Lex questioned as he condensed his incredibly large aura into his fist, his arm trembling violently from the amount of power he had stored. "I'll give you a punch. I'll give you a punch so strong it'll reduce your body to nothing." With the wicked grin spreading along his lips, it was safe to say that this was not an exaggeration. Without another word Lex dropped his blade and sprinted forward, creating a crater with every step he took, rearing his arm back as the devilish smile continued to spread on his lips. "LET US SEE WHO HAS THE STRONGER FIST!"

"Gladly." Laxus nodded as lightning enveloped his body, and with that he was off, rearing his arm back to clash with Lex. The others thought Laxus was crazy for pulling such a stunt and no one could tell the end result of this.

"PERISH!" Once Lex was close Laxus, he took the liberty in swinging a full powered punch towards the S class only to…miss. His eyes widened as he hit nothing but air…but that wasn't the part that he was shocked about. The dangerous aura around his arm merely dispersed.

"Gotcha." The only word Laxus uttered as he twisted his body, bringing his leg to Lex's face for a brutal kick more than capable of sending the white coated male flying away. What was even better is that this direct hit was clearly effective unlike the previous hits.

"Whoa, what the hell!?" Elfman's eyes lit up at Laxus' display of manliness.

"Ah…!" Levy snapped her fingers. "I get it…! Lex's strength comes from his opponents! His unstoppable force is meant to overpower their immovable object, which is why he gets stronger and stronger! As his power increases he's sure to overwhelm his opponent with their strength and it happens whenever they make the first move and his aura ensures that nothing weaker will hit him…but what happens when that aura isn't overpowered…but countered? His strength resets to zero!"

Lex regained his footing, staggering backwards to avoid falling over while holding his arm in what looked like fear. "W-What…how could this be happening!? This shouldn't be…I'm the strongest…!" He then stared forward, eyes widening as Laxus continued to close the distance. "H-How…why…what makes you so strong!?"

"I don't care how strong you think you are!" Laxus bellowed as his eyes narrowed. "If you hurt my guild I'll be sure to kick your ass! That's all there is too it! Secret Dragon Slaying Art: ROARING THUNDER!" Laxus roared and swung his arm forward for a devastating blow to Lex's face. The impact was so strong a thunderous boom echoed across the island and Laxus continued this by driving Lex into the ground for a few yards before coming to a halt. When Laxus pulled his arm up, Lex laid on the ground with his eyes completely white. He was KO'ed. "Don't ever touch my guild again."

"That's my Laxus!" Freed exclaimed with the widest grin.

"YOUR Laxus!?" Bickslow and Evergreen turned at Freed with a confused expression. "Now you're just being a hog!"

"Incredible…" Lisanna's eyes lit up with admiration.

"Tch…" Gajeel scoffed. "I could've done that if all of you weren't in the way."

"I…I see…" Lex groaned while sitting up. Everyone immediately went on guard once again, but Lex wasn't going to do anymore moving after Laxus' finishing blow. "It appears the strength of other mages comes in different varieties…brute strength isn't always the answer."

It was time for interrogation. Laxus towered over Lex with his arms crossed, staring into the Commandants very soul with his piercing glare. "Alright, bastard. Tell us what you're doing here and why you're after our Celestial Wizard."

Lex merely gave a knowing smile at Laxus' request. "As I said before…that Celestial Wizard has become a person of interest as of late…what we're doing here? It has something to do with that…along with a much bigger goal that you couldn't possibly hope to imagine…" His smile widened as his form started fizzle.

"W-What's happening to him!?" Levy asked.

"He's…disappearing…!?" Lily shouted.

"The price for failure…" Lex chuckled. "Forgive me, Lucius. This is a fight I should not have started." With that, Lex and his white coat just…dispersed into a white light. That was it, the Commandant was gone.

"…Fuck." Laxus finally collapsed to a knee, panting heavily.

"Are you okay?!" The Raijinshu hurried over to Laxus.

"I can still fight…" Laxus groaned. "I just need a minute…"

"We have to get out of this rain first…" Evergreen sighed. "It's starting to ruin my hair…"

"Solid Script: Tent!" Levy scribbled the word tent in the air; the letters forming a large cover for the group from the rain, and it was nice and cozy too. It was ample space for all of them to relax for a bit. "How's that…?"

"Well…" Lily began, but the thunder outside caused him to jump. "It could be more s-soundproof…"

"Laxus…" Lisanna peered at Laxus with hopeful eyes. "Where's Mira-nee? She was with you when we left…what happened to her? Please, tell me she's okay!"

Laxus remained silent before averting his eyes. "We…we got separated. I don't know what happened to her….I know you're worried, but you seem more worried than usual…is there something I'm missing?"

"A lot, actually…" Said Freed. "When we were returning to the Isle, Nasir told us an interesting bit of information…confirmed by our dragon slayers, the unnaturally large amount of blood on his hand belonged to Mira…he claims that she's…"

"…Even with that red headed traitor lending a hand? I refuse to believe it." Laxus did not so much as even bat an eye at the news, which brought Elfman and Lisanna some hope. "You know how strong that woman is. A little scratch won't bring down that demon."

"Y-Yeah…!" Lisanna nodded cheerfully. "Mira-nee's out there…!" This was the time the others informed Laxus of what was happening on the island at this moment and what was going to happen soon concerning the Etherion Cannon. He had a lot to catch up on.

"So…" After taking in all the information, Laxus closed his eyes. "This island's gonna be blown up in about 6 hours, huh? Didn't realize time flew so fast…what are we waiting for then?"

"First, we have to stay out of this rain…" Levy pointed out. "And we're a little exhausted…I just hope the Mystic Water Team can hurry up and reach it so we can save Cynthia…"

.

.

Venoma and Eizen were the two stuck with watching over Dhegensea while Drake and Nasir went off on their own separate missions within the rain. The trapped Dhegensea was stuck in the rain and unfortunately neither Venoma nor Eizen were capable of even touching him. "Ugh…" The purple haired female played with her hair, trying to give herself something to do. "This is ridiculously, why must I always be the one stuck inside this castle!?" She complained.

"Our King is encased within a shell of untouchable light and you're complaining about your lack of stretching your limbs?" Eizen looked over at Venoma with a look of disapproval. "Your priorities are skewed, Venoma."

"Eh!?" Venoma took offense to Eizen's statement. "EXCUSE ME! If you haven't noticed, I've been cooped up in here ALL DAY! The only bit of action I had was throwing out Draco, meanwhile everyone else is over here fighting or having at least some action. I should've pulled an Edna and just walked out."

"I will be scolding her later as well," Eizen merely replied. "Besides, I'm surprised you'd rather be out in the rain than within the warm confines of this castle."

"At this point, as much as I love my hair, I'd much rather fight something." The woman sighed. "Besides, if you haven't noticed, half of the castle was just blown to bits because of that annoying spirit! It's kind of freezing in here!" As the two dragons bickered, the shell of light surrounding Dhegensea began to show the slightest crack…

.

.

Minerva's team had cover from the rain in a small rocky area. Though they were warm and dry thanks to the fire Kuro created, it was clear they hated wasting time. "I wish this rain would hurry up and end." Minerva let out a small huff while staring up at the storm clouds. "We don't have time to be sitting around protecting ourselves from a little water."

"You'd think Jaxon would do something about this…" Waiston rolled his eyes. "But knowing him he's probably enjoying the thunder. Plus he'd say something like 'just because I can control the weather doesn't mean I always want to' or something like that…"

"Sounds like him!" Kuro said with a wide grin.

"Whatever the case, we still have some searching to do once this rain lets up. Hopefully it won't last too long; otherwise I may just need to change into a bathing suit…" Jenny mumbled.

"You can just do that right now." Waiston stated with a simple grin. "No need to wait."

Before anyone else could make a comment the card Minerva was given by Cana began to flash. "What…?" Pulling the card out, a holographic image of Heather appeared.

"This thing is on, right? Okay, good…" Nodding, the poison slayer continued. "Right…so, we've found the Princess…kind of. She seems to be lurking about with one of those white coated cretins. And one sharp shooter nearly ended her life unknowingly…" Not that she was firing any shots, but… "Keep an eye out for the Princess, that's all we have to say." And the transmission cut off.

"The Princess is with one of those White Coats?" Eve tilted his head. "It must have happened after Mii betrayed Erza-san's team."

"The fact she's not dead yet must mean they have some plans for her…" Rufus deduced with a mere nod. "It isn't safe to keep her around the enemy for much longer. Unfortunately this rain is hindering our progress…suffice to say that the same can be said for our enemies."

.

.

"The rain is getting heavier…" Mii complained while trudging through the now somewhat muddy ground. "My boots are getting dirty…"

"For once I can agree with you on something…" Lucy nodded, letting out a small groan while trudging forward. "Why is this rain so heavy? Shouldn't we find some cover?"

"I don't see the problem." Kagura was blunt in her statement…even though she picked the wrong time to wear a kimono and sandals. She just refused to let a little mud bother her.

Luckily the Exceeds could just fly. The only thing they had to suffer from was the rain which steadily increased every passing second until it eventually turned into a downpour. The nearby trees were soaking wet. "Aye…this rain is starting to really come down; I think we should find a place to lay low until it dies."

"Fro thinks so too…" Fro frowned, just thankful that his hoodie protected him from some of the rain.

"We're going to get sick at this rate…" Sting said with a soft groan.

"No, we're almost at the spot…!" Mii flailed. "Just tough it out for a little longer!"

"It's not that serious…" Draco said with his arms crossed. Because of the natural heat emanating from his body the rain didn't really bother him too much. The same could be said for Natsu.

"Sometimes you two annoy me…" Selene huffed.

"Maybe we can save this quarreling for when it's nice and dry…?" Chelia suggested while bringing her hands up to her arms, shivering slightly from the cold. It seemed that everyone really did want to get out of the rain.

With a small sigh, Kagura gave a reluctant nod. "Very well…it's better we don't make ourselves vulnerable by getting sick. Let us find some shelter. I hope that won't be too much of an issue, Mii?" Kagura could finally agree in saying the rain was getting troublesome but she wasn't going to say it aloud.

"Ah…" With a small huff, Mii eventually gave a small nod. "Okay, okay…if memory serves correctly there should be a cave up ahead we can rest in. It's not too far away. Maybe we can collect some firewood on the way there to dry off…"

"Sounds like a plan to me!" Yukino said while clasping her hands together. "I know we can't afford to waste time, but it shouldn't take long for this rain to subside…"

"Some fish sounds good too…" Happy rubbed his stomach with a grin.

"I'm getting hungry too…" Natsu mirrored Happy's action.

"Okay, I get the point…" Luke rolled his eyes.

With everyone bickering about the rain and the situation, Kagura kept her eyes forward while following slightly behind Mii who began to lead the way. Moments of traversing the muddy ground before Kagura sensed something off in the distance. She immediately turned to the others while yelling; "GET DOWN!" No one even questioned her orders and everyone hit the ground just as a massive beam of magic decimated some trees ahead. Pulling Archenemy from its sheathe, Kagura swung the blade forward to collide with the beam of magic, sliding across the ground before coming to a halt, slashing through the beam.

"W-WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT!?" Mii shrieked in what was almost fear. If she didn't know what the cause of that was then…

"In the rain, seriously?!" Raven grunted while lifting his head up.

"Hm…?" Hubert walked through the destroyed debris while using two fingers to adjust his glasses. He noticed Kagura leading the group that was down on the ground to avoid his attack. "I thought I sensed something around here…"

"Who the hell is this guy…" Rogue questioned while picking himself up from the wet ground.

"Is this another trap, Mii?!" Natsu shouted, prepared to punch Mii's lights out for lying if this was the case.

Everyone stared at Mii for an explanation, but she genuinely did not know. "S-Stop looking at me like that! I don't know who the hell this guy is! I've never seen him before in my life…"

"Another person made it on this island…?" Selene tilted her while glaring towards the mysterious male. "How? I thought this thing was supposed to be a secret!"

"Nothing's really much of a secret when it comes crashing from above into the ocean just off the mainland…" Hubert responded. "But enough about this…I'm here for a reason…and worry not, it's something that can be done within hours, before that nasty cannon fires."

"He knows about the plan too!?" Sting slid into a battle ready position.

"I swear I don't know him…!" Mii pleaded her case again.

"I've never spoken to this female," Hubert said while pointing to Mii, basically vouching for her. "But that's not important now…" A sapphire aura appeared from his being as he spoke.

"Everyone, follow Mii back to the cave." Kagura ordered while holding Archenemy at her side. "I'll take care of this one."

"A-Are you sure…?" Chelia questioned with worry, but after Kagura made her demand it was clear she expected the others to follow through with it.

"F-Follow me…!" Mii seemed really shaken up, but she led the others to the west while Kagura stood there against Hubert.

"State your name," Kagura's tone was stern while bringing the blade up. "And your business here."

"Hubert Oswell," Hubert responded while holding his hand up, a golden glow appearing in his hand before it turned into a double-sided bladed lance, Hubert's hand resting on the grip in the middle. "As for my business…I'm merely here to gather information…and this is the perfect opportunity to do so. This is a battlefield now, Ms. Mikazuchi…I hope you've learned the true meaning of 'no mercy', because in war that phrase is the only phrase that matters."

.

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Next Time: No Mercy.


	39. Chapter 38: No Mercy

The rain on the Isle even spread out to Fiore. Port Hargeon had a heavy rain with the Isle of the Dragons visible in the distance. Jura stood at a dock as though he didn't mind the rain, arms crossed while staring at the Isle. "Hmm..." Just what was on his mind? "Surely they are going to need help of sort, but with that countdown it's going to be exceedingly difficult to secure some way across in time…unless…" Staring at the ocean, Jura had an idea in mind. "Ah, there we go." With a nod to himself, he placed his arms together as a golden aura emanated from around him. What was the Iron Rock Saint planning this time?

.

.

Lucius and Hisui sat at the bases of two large trees, the wide leaves providing adequate protection from the rain. Lucius didn't seem focused on Hisui as he usually did this time; instead he stared off into the distance with his eyes narrowed. He could feel Lex's presence fade away…it was the same with Wes' earlier. His comrades were dropping one by one. "The mages on this isle must be stronger than we originally thought…to have beaten both Wes and Lex…"

Hisui sat there with Lucius' white coat around her still. Though it reeked of the pleasant smell of roses and did a good job in keeping her warm, she had the feeling she really shouldn't have been wearing this attire. It was a bit of an awkward silence between the two considering their interactions a while ago. "Uhm…" Hisui spoke up, causing Lucius to turn in her direction. "Are you…well…?" She questioned. He saved her life, and was keeping her alive thus far; the least she could do is ask about his wellbeing.

"Oh?" Lucius chuckled at Hisui's curiosity. "I'm quite all right, thank you for asking. Although I do not think I can say the same about my comrades…" He let out a false sign before shaking his head slowly. "Worry yourself not about it, my dear."

"I...see…okay…" Hisui just nodded. She didn't want to pry. From the sound of things the others were fighting against Lucius' comrades, which seemed to be a good thing…but for how long?

"There you are." Brax sighed while walking onto the scene along with Xen and Laura. "We've been looking everywhere for you. We split up at first but then the rain decided to put a cramp on my style."

"I see you've company with you…" Laura sneered at Hisui who just blinked, attempting not to look as afraid as she was on the inside. "Why the hell is she wearing your coat? That's your symbol of proof, you dumbass…!"

Lucius merely sighed, shaking his head as he stood up from the dry ground with a small grin plastered on the handsome face of his. "Oh Laura-san, my dear…as a lady, I thought you'd understand how to treat one. But I suppose the treatment you're used too isn't very becoming of men, is it not?"

That was quite possibly one of the lowest blows anyone could deliver to the blonde. She wasn't even sure how to react aside from her brow twitching in annoyance while her hand curled into a tight fist. Yet she couldn't actually retaliate because Lucius was a superior. Instead, she just spoke through her gritted teeth with an annoyed smile. "How charming…it's funny how such a pretty face can be the holder of a horrifyingly ugly person…" With that, her smile shifted to a crooked one.

"You two and your needless fighting…" Xen sighed while placing two fingers on his forehead in annoyance.

Meanwhile, Hisui just sat there with widened eyes. "A-Are these his allies…!?" She thought to herself while just staring at the four Commandants. "T-They don't seem very well coordinated…"

"I know, it's a mess…" Brax leaned against the tree Hisui was resting under, startling the princess horribly. "Oh, did I scare ya? Sorry about that. It's interesting that he's kept you nice and safe this entire time. Name's Brax, keep it memorized will ya?"

"It's come to my attention that both Wes and Lex have fallen…" Lucius spoke first, staring at the others for their thoughts.

"HAHAHA!" Laura let out another laugh upon hearing Wes' face. "That good for nothing slacker finally got what was coming to him! If he took his job seriously maybe the freeloader could've won. But instead he fails his only notable mission! So now we're stuck with the job." Digging in her coat pocket, she pulled out the very same whistle Wes had used against Lucy to confirm suspicions. "Found this while looking around, not even sure if the damn thing works or not because we never got a report. But I'll keep it around."

"I see…" Lucius nodded slowly. "Wes' defeat will not be in vain, however. It alerts us that the mages here are nothing to take lightly. Same with Lex…I felt his presence vanish only a few moments ago. I can only imagine whom he had to face in order to be beaten…"

"I could care less." Xen huffed. "I just want the results on that traitor! They've been in hiding for so long…and now they're finally within reach. I can't wait to pull them apart…"

"That's just a bonus, Xen," Lucius spoke calmly. "Remember our true reason for coming here?"

"Oh yes, how could I forget?" Xen's expression changed to that of a sinister grin. "I remember our true goal all too well. Has it been confirmed?"

"Oh yes…" Lucius nodded, now having Brax and Laura's attention as well. "I've confirmation that what were are looking for, and what controls this island are one and the same. The Scared Gem will fall into our hands soon enough…" It was almost as if they all forgot about Hisui. Then again, she was filled with so much fear and shock she couldn't even make a sound; she could only sit there as the Commandants began to discuss their grand plan. It didn't help that she couldn't communicate with the others…she was neck deep in enemy territory with no way out…

.

.

"W…We made it…" Lucy huffed while placing one hand on the cave's interior, trying to catch her breath. It hurt trying to run with injuries. Everyone was soaking wet from the rain outside.

"Are we all here…?" Mii questioned while glancing around. Natsu, Selene, Luke, Draco, Sting, Rogue, Yukino, Happy, Frosch, and Lector were all there. "…Wait a second…" Green eyes narrowed while glancing around again. "I know Kagura is fighting that weird guy, but…"

"We're a few short…" Selene tapped her foot, unable to put her finger on it either. "Who's missing…?"

"Wait…!" Yukino gasped when she finally noticed it before the others did. "Where are Chelia-sama and Raven-sama? They were behind us, weren't they…?"

Eyes widened as everyone finally noticed. "Stupid kids…!" Luke grunted.

.

.

Kagura and Hubert were locked in fierce close combat. Kagura swung her unsheathed blade towards Hubert's chest, but he blocked it with his dual sided lance. It looked like Kagura held the offensive momentum until Hubert evaded one of her slashes, sending a kick to her side. It was a direct hit and the Mermaid staggered slightly in the mud, but she'd had much worse. "You will surrender immediately. You've no quarter in this battle." Kagura demanded while keeping Archenemy out.

Using two fingers, Hubert adjusted his glasses. "It's nice to think you're the stronger opponent, isn't it?" He questioned with such honesty his tone came off as condescending.

Brushing off the comment, Kagura simply used her gravity magic to decrease the gravity around her, making her lighter as a result. She was off once again, speeding through the wet ground while aiming another slash at Hubert, who blocked it, though he did slide back a few feet from Kagura's sheer force. She continued her assault, aiming relentless slash after slash at the blue haired male. Only some of her slashes even managed to graze him, much to her annoyance. "Tch…"

"Gravity manipulation? Interesting…" Hubert muttered before blocking yet another one of her slashes, only to pull apart his dual sided lance into two separate swords. With this, defending against Kagura was much easier than it was before. His weapon was special in more ways than one, and the Mermaid was about to learn this. Leaning away from the blade Archenemy, one of the swords in his hand shifted into pistol. With a sinister grin, he pointed the barrel at Kagura from closer than point blank range. "Flare Shot." Clicking the trigger, a bullet composed completely of heat shot out from the barrel in attempt to fly right through Kagura's arm.

"…!" Brown eyes widened at the sight of the pistol. Kagura was quick to shift to the side, though the bullet still grazed her arm, incinerating her sleeve while inflicting a second degree burn. Mermaid Heel's ace hissed in pain while leaping away from Hubert to distance herself. It was worrisome how even in this rain he could unleash such a powerful heat based attack.

"Quite hot, don't you agree?" Hubert chuckled before shifting his other blade into a pistol, not unleashing continuous Flare Shots upon Kagura. Even with this heavy rain the strength of the shots did not lose their potency.

"Ugh…" Kagura had no choice but to evade the incoming bullets of flame while closing the distance between herself and Hubert. Though no bullet was a direct hit, they did graze her arms and legs. Gritting her teeth to keep from letting out any pained noises, the Mermaid continued on her path towards the Empyrean wizard.

Hubert noticed that Kagura was getting closer and closer with each passing seconds. Seeing how his Flare Shots were essentially ineffective, he shifted to a different kind of bullet. "Scarlet Salvo." He uttered, clicking the trigger on one pistol yet again; a blood red bullet flew out from the handle while racing towards Kagura.

"…" That bullet looked much more dangerous than the previous. Kagura shifted to the side; however the bullet still struck her leg, just barely missing that vital artery. That didn't stop her eyes from widening in pain as she collapsed to a knee, letting out a pained yelp. "W-What on earth…m-my leg…" She could hardly feel it, only the pain throbbing in the limb as blood started to trickle down.

"Looks like you are faster than you appear…" Hubert remarked before shifting the two pistols back into the two blades and clicked them together once again. Taking a huge leap forward, Hubert aimed the very tip of his lance at Kagura, but Kagura still had enough fight in her to leap away, so he ended up impaling the ground instead. Not that this changed anything for his assault. "Detonation Bloom!" The male exclaimed as his lance released an explosion that sent a large amount of debris flying towards Kagura. This was only the tip of the iceberg; with a snap of his fingers Hubert turned all of the debris into little soldiers, all of them holding different weapons based on their distance away from Kagura. Those farther away held little machine guns that shot at her from afar, while those closer held swords and aimed to slash at her. "Command Order: Attack."

"Wha…?!" Now even Kagura had to be surprised at what Hubert was capable of. Eyes narrowed at the soldiers composed of dirt attacked her; wasting no time she sped forward even with her injured leg while sheathing Archenemy for a mere second. "Archenemy: Flipped Form!" In what looked like an invisible slash, all of the soldiers were reduced to nothing but the dirt they came from. Keeping her assault strong, she unsheathed the blade once more while using her own speed to pass right by Hubert, delivering a plethora of slashes in the split second process. "Slashing Form!" Turning after to see how she damaged him, her expression told everything she needed to know.

Hubert was relatively unharmed. There were slash marks along his clothing and some grazes, but no serious wounds. He didn't even move from his spot. Turning slowly, his glasses adjusted once more while he faced her. "Surprised, are we?" He questioned while bringing up his hand, showing off the sapphire gemstone adorned on his ring finger. "A military mind already knows how a battle will play out, and that includes the minds of his opponents. Every opponent is a unique puzzle…whether it be simplistic or complex, everyone is unique in their own mindset. However, a true mind will solve these puzzles no matter what. And I believe I've solved the puzzle that is you, Ms. Mikazuchi."

"Is that so." Kagura responded with her composure still as firm as ever. She silently clicked Archenemy back into its sheathe, and in that instant Hubert felt it.

"…!?" Hubert's eyes widened briefly as his sleeve was torn off, revealing a cut along his arm. His composure was still the same however he was incredibly impressed. "I thought I dodged that…you're better than you look…"

Kagura was not letting Hubert have any reprieve. She made an opening and now it was time to finish this bout. She decreased the gravity around herself while increasing it around Hubert to ensure he wouldn't be moving anywhere. With that she leapt forward, aiming her blade forward in attempt to plunge it through his chest and end this battle once and for all. "This is where you fall!"

"Oh…" Hubert felt his knees buckle just briefly under the increase in gravity. "I'm disappointed…" He said while pulling his dualblade into pistols again, taking aim at Kagura as she drew near. "This sort of tactic is far outdated…it only works when you know they're weaker than you. Are you trying to insult me? Gravity Blast." Just as Kagura was within range, Hubert clicked the trigger, unleashing a bullet that exploded with a powerful gravity field; the fields of gravity were shifted. The weight on Hubert went to Kagura, and the lightness went to Hubert. With that, Hubert leapt into the air, fusing the dual pistols into a large singular blade. "X-Passion!" Swinging his blade down, he aimed to take off Kagura's head right there, following up with several other slashes if he missed the first slash.

The field of gravity was stronger than Kagura thought, causing her to unintentionally let out a surprised yelp while using her own gravity to cancel the field out. She was back to a normal center of gravity and just in time to block Hubert's slash. Sparks flew from the collision of their blades. Once again, their blades clashed constantly, though Kagura was forced back and losing ground due to her leg injury. She was struggling to keep up let alone stand, gritting her teeth whilst fighting through the pain. She just had to wait for an opening…that opening came within the transition of Hubert pulling his sword apart into two blades. "Hyah!" In that instant, Kagura swung Archenemy for Hubert's side. The hit wasn't as deep as she was going forward and she ended up going on the defensive immediately; she swung her blade to defend against one blade…only to be open for the other. Hubert's blade plunged right through her stomach. A choked grunt of pain escaped Kagura while blood flew from her mouth, dropping Archenemy onto the muddy ground in the process.

"Checkmate." Hubert grinned while lifting his arm up, lifting Kagura up as a result. The Mermaid could only desperately grasp the blade in attempt to pull it out of her. Hubert grinned sadistically as he could see the color draining from her face as the life slipped away from her; he enjoyed seeing her blood run down his blade. "That's the look I was waiting to see." He put Kagura back on the ground, immediately joining the two blades into one once more for a devastating diagonal slash along Kagura's chest. The Mermaid Ace staggered back before falling over on her back, vision red as she laid in a small pool of her own blood. "I expected a bit more of a fight…tis a shame…" One pistol was held out, aimed directly for Kagura's forehead. "Oh well…I suppose not all expectations can be met."

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.

Bang. The sound of a bullet echoed through the rainy island. Instantly, Milliana and Melody froze on the spot, having the same shiver quickly crawl down their spine. "…!"

"What's up with you two?" Cygnus questioned before turning at Reve. "Was that you…?"

"No…" Reve shook his head while narrowing his eyes.

Milliana stared in the distance where the gunshot came from, only able to utter one thing. "Kagura-chan…"

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Next Time: Hard Time.


	40. Chapter 39: Hard Time

The rain was still heavy. Hubert pointed his pistol at the downed Kagura's forehead. The Mermaid had a deep wound in her stomach from the stabbing, and a brutal wound along her midsection from the following slash; all while lying in a small puddle of her own blood within the heavy rain. Hubert didn't seem to mind however, he just stood over her with a slight grin. "Goodbye." Clicking the trigger, a Scarlet Salvo bullet flying from the barrel towards Kagura, the loud BANG echoing throughout the entire island; just before the bullet could hit, a wind arrow intercepted and destroyed it. "What?" Turning around, the Empryean was immediately met with a fist covered in black wind, causing him to stagger backwards before regaining his footing. "Oh?"

"Are we good!?" Raven questioned while standing in front of Kagura's injured body.

"We're okay!" Chelia nodded while sliding across the muddy ground, giving Hubert the death glare. "Is she conscious?! Is she breathing!?"

"No! And that's a little hard to tell…" Raven responded while kneeling to examine Kagura. "We have to give her first aid as soon as possible!"

"Children on the battlefield?" Hubert questioned while adjusting his glasses; they were askew after Chelia's blow to his face. "You don't belong here, least of all not on this island. Go back home and play with your toys, children. Leave the grown up business to the adults."

"We aren't children!" Chelia exclaimed with an angered visage. "I'm 16! And you shouldn't underestimate what we can do!" In order to protect and save Kagura, Chelia was more than willing to take on Hubert with Raven at her side. She sped across the wet ground, black wind swirling around her leg. With a front flip, Chelia extended her leg forward, aiming to slam it into Hubert's midsection. "HA!"

"Determined children, nonetheless…" Hubert sighed as Chelia neared him. Without putting much effort into it, he crossed his arms to defend against Chelia's kick. As it turns out, he slightly underestimated the Sky Goddess and slid across the ground a few feet. Chelia then flipped away to prepare for another attack, that's when Hubert aimed a single pistol at the pinkette….however, just before he could hit the trigger, an arrow of wind flew past his arm, causing him to withdraw. "Tch…A sniper?" He glanced at Raven who had his bow at the ready, pointing his pistol over to him. "Very well, I'll take you out first."

"I think not!" Chelia yelled while appearing in Hubert's face again, black wind wrapped around her fist. "I'm your opponent! Sky God's Iron Knuckle!" Chelia swung her fist towards Hubert's face; however he blocked it with his shifted swords in an X formation. The two were in a stalemate for a few seconds before Hubert's physical strength was more than enough to push Chelia away, sending her skidding across the ground. Chelia placed one palm on the ground to slow her momentum while drawing her free hand back, a spiral of black wind appearing around her palm. "Sky God's Whirlwind!" As soon as she came to a halt, the pinkette threw her arm forward, releasing a widespread black whirlwind towards Hubert that destroyed some of the trees nearby.

Hubert was unfazed, though secretly impressed by the magical power such a little body possessed. Clicking his swords back into the dual sided lance, Hubert began to spin the lance in a rapid counterclockwise motion. "Gale Fang!" The rotation of his lance was more than enough to defend against the Whirlwind, forcing it to disperse. Immediately after this Hubert took a step forward to dash at Chelia, but was halted by another wind arrow that grazed his chest. It wasn't that he forgot about Raven…it was just he couldn't take his eyes off either of them. Chelia attacked and as soon as she was done, Raven covered her with perfect timing; as a result, whenever Hubert attempted to remove Raven from the equation, Chelia followed up with an attack to cover him, thus the pattern continued. "Intriguing…" Hubert's tone was slightly annoyed but impressed at the same time. "Such a tactic could not be employed unless there is strong mutual trust involved…" The way he spoke, it was as if he'd seen this tactic before and that it was nothing new. Perhaps that was why he was only slightly annoyed?

"You don't need to tell us what we already know." Raven replied with a slight grin, because Hubert looked too into his theory to be paying attention to the battle.

Chelia took to the air, a spiral of black wind appearing within her very palm as she closed the distance between herself and Huber yet again. "You've let your guard down!" Once she was close enough, she twisted her body while throwing her palm forward, unleashing a gigantic twister of black wind that tore apart everything within a mile radius. "Sky God's Boreas!" The widespread destruction of one move left its mark on the forest, cutting down trees and leaving a large crevasse in the soaked ground, all while creating a cloud of smoke lingering in the area. The Sky God landed on her feet, staring intently into the smoke…all was come for what seemed like minutes, so she relaxed slightly before looking at Raven. "I think I got him…let's start carrying her back."

"Nice one…!" Raven pumped his fist at Chelia's direct hit. He then glanced at Kagura, leaning down to begin lifting her up. "G-Geez…she's heavy…"

"Careful…!" Chelia chided Raven in his technique of lifting up the fatally injured Kagura. "Her injuries are without a doubt mortal…you have to move her slowly otherwise…" She trailed off, knowing Raven caught the gist.

"Right…right…" Raven nodded slowly. He attempted to lift Kagura once again, slowly this time. Unfortunately, a blood red bullet pierced right through his side once he was open. The male's eyes widened before he dropped Kagura, falling to his knees with his hand over his injured side. "G-GAAAH!"

Chelia's eyes widened upon seeing Raven hit. "R-RAVEN!" She had no time to worry about her the wind mage, for Hubert's heel slammed directly into her temple, the physical strength of the Empyrean sending her tumbling roughly across the ground before coming to a halt on her stomach. "Ack…"

"You let your guard down." Hubert said whilst using his middle and index fingers to adjust his glasses; his outfit had some tears and his skin showed bruising, but otherwise he was fine after taking a direct hit from Chelia. "Because your high level of trust left you vulnerable." With a shrug, he raised the dual lance into the air, slowly beginning to twirl it. "You are strong children, I must admit…but children are children, and you should be in school instead of risking your lives for this woman. And as such, I will be your teacher. Today, we have a science lesson. We're going to see how impure this rain is." As he spoke, the darkened clouds above began to spark with lightning, much more than usual.

"N-No…!" Oh, Chelia knew exactly where this was going. She was dizzy but attempted to scramble up to her feet to stop Hubert, but it was far too late.

"Thunder Bringer." With his lance twirling around, the clouds above dropped several bolts of lightning down on the surrounding area. Two of them landed directly onto the soaked Raven and Chelia, the damage amplified. The two let out screams of pain before falling onto the ground once again. "Very impure. Congratulations, you both passed with flying colors."

"W-Who is this guy…" Raven winced while using his good arm to push himself up.

"He's…strong…" Chelia panted while pushing herself up to a knee. A soft light began to appear around her body as her Sky God's Healing Spell took effect.

"No no, we can't have that." Hubert shook his head while pulling the blades apart, shifting them into pistols again, only this time he merged the two together to form a large cannon.

"Chelia, look out!" Raven shouted…but Hubert wasn't aiming at Chelia. He was aiming at him and Kagura. "…ACK!"

"Colonel Cannon!" Hubert clicked the trigger, unleashing a massive beam of raw magic towards Raven and Kagura; the beam sped through the air at an incredible speed while utterly annihilating the ground it traveled over. Something that huge would no doubt spell the end for the both of them.

"NO!" Chelia sprang forward, sliding to a halt a few yards between both parties; her cheeks inflated and she quickly threw her head forward, unleashing a tornado of black wind from her mouth. It clashed with the Colonel Cannon and it looked like Chelia was not going to win, but mustering all the strength she could she forced her head to the side, slowly diverting the blast from Raven and Kagura. She only lasted seconds before the Cannon broke through her Bellow and completely consumed her; where she could only let out a pained scream.

"CHELIA!" Raven shouted in worry, but the pain running through his body was far too much for him to even move. "D-Damn it…"

"I-….I'm okay…" Chelia mumbled into the ground. Her body shook as she attempted to bring herself to her hands and knees, but she was exhausted. "I can…still move…we have to…save Kagura…"

"S-Stop pushing yourself…you know your body can't handle it…!" Raven's concern was warranted considering Chelia's condition was far beyond normal due to prior events.

"Now, now, children…" Hubert shook his head while aiming his separate pistols at Chelia and Raven. "You both look tired…let me tuck you in." Two bullets were fired, one for both wind mages. Though just before they hit, two more bullets intercepted those, resulting in a clash. "Oh?"

"Reckless brats…" There was Mii, wearing a disapproving expression with Purple Pot in her hands. "What the hell were you thinking going off on your own like that!?"

"M-Mii…!?" Raven and Chelia exclaimed in unison.

"Can we wrap this up? This rain is starting to ruin my hair…" She stared at the two kids before glancing at Hubert. "Mind letting us go? We're kind of in a hurry."

"I can do no such thing. Since you all wish to interfere and save the fallen Mermaid, I'll give all who oppose me the same treatment." Hubert replied, though he was immediately forced to leap back due to a large bullet Mii sent his way. "Ah…Purple Pot…that gun is unique…just how did you acquire such a rarity?"

"That doesn't matter!" Mii said with a growing smirk, keeping the pressure on Hubert by clicking the trigger of the rare pistol repeatedly, unleashing large emerald bullets in his direction. Each one had extremely powerful explosive capabilities and she had the magic to spare when it came to using them.

"Radial Arc!" This was where Hubert found the time to spray concussive bullets everywhere, colliding with Mii's Purple Pot shots. The multiple explosions created a large smoke cloud while shaking the area.

"Ah…" Mii wasn't sure if she got him or not.

"The smoke is cover…!" Chelia cried out.

"Huh!?" Mii wasn't sure where Hubert was going to strike, but that was made clear the minute a Scarlet Salvo bullet pierced right through her left shoulder; blood began running down Mii's arm and her eyes widened. "G-GAH…?!"

"Mii, your arm…" Raven stared as the female's skin was literally soaked with the crimson liquid.

"Ha…this is nothing…!" Mii grunted with a sly grin stretching along her lips. She dropped Purple Pot, allowing it to fade to golden fuzz while replacing the pistol with her large shotgun: Dragon Hadlar. "Now, watch me work!" Knees bent before taking off to the sky, gripping the shotgun by its handle. With a small cry Mii brought the barrel of the dual shotgun down on Hubert. The Empyrean leapt away just as the large explosion occurred from impact.

"You missed." Hubert stated, though he quickly saw Mii's goal. The trees that didn't get destroyed in the previous battle collapsed in front of him, blocking him off from the others. "Ah…"

"Hurry…!" Mii said while lifting Kagura up slowly, having a little difficultly because she didn't expect the female to be as heavy as she was. "Oof…she's pretty heavy for someone so slim…how does she do it…?" Shaking her head, she stared at Chelia and Raven. "Hurry up, before he breaks down those trees! Grab her sword too!"

"O-On it…" Chelia grabbed Archenemy from the ground; she and Raven used each other for supports to walk as they all hurried back to the cave where the others were.

.

.

"The Sacred Gem…" Lucius snapped his fingers, activating some sort of lacrima to give the other remaining Commandants a holographic image of the gem. "This Gem is important for more reasons than one. For starters, this is the Gem that was said to keep this island afloat in the sky…but due to the powers of a certain someone, this island has fallen. That certain someone happens to be The Chosen, the one said to control the fate of this island."

Upon hearing that, Hisui's eyes widened. She knew exactly who The Chosen was. "Mii…" She mumbled under her breath. Laura was keeping an eye on her and saw her mumble, but thankfully the blonde didn't opt to say anything just yet.

"This Chosen…" Brax folded his arms. "Do we know who they are?"

"A woman named Mii. I believe she lies at the center of this." Lucius commented. "She is The Chosen of this island, meaning her decisions will ultimately decide the fate of this area today. Whether she is aware of this or not is unknown…however, based on what you've told us, Lucius…she seems to be aware that the dragons are on the winning side."

"Gotta wonder if she's planning on leading the war by the dragon's side…" Brax shrugged.

"Who knows what that woman is thinking…" Hisui muttered once again under her breath, though this time Laura wasn't letting her slide.

"What was that, Princess?" Laura sneered at the Jade Princess. "Is there something you want to share with the rest of the class?"

"W-Well…N-Not exactly…uhm…" Hisui stammered before coughing a few times. "I-I just know Mii…she's not as…noble a person as you might think…considering her role…"

"Oh?" Xen was going to probe Hisui for whatever information she had on Mii. "Go on."

"A-Ah…" Talk about being put on the spot…not like she had a choice. She began coughing profusely, feeling the pressure affecting her sickness.

"You can't cough your way out of every question!" Laura glared at the princess.

"G-Gomen…" Hisui was aware of this. "She's incredibly nonchalant about everything…quite, em…perverted…and she doesn't seem to take anything very seriously. She flops sides a lot…"

"Is that so?" Lucius quipped. "Now that I think about it…that female was rather…interesting. She doesn't seem like anyone who has the right to play a large factor in an island's fate…but we've no say in that."

"The Chosen also reacts to the Sacred Gem. I suppose that's how this island fell in the first place. But I believe there's one more important piece of this puzzle that benefits us greatly…" Xen said as a growing smile appeared on his lips. "Is it true that the life of the Black Dragon King is tied to this very Gem?"

"Correct." Lucius nodded. "The Sacred Gem is what binds Dhegensea to this life. Should it be broken…he will lose all his power and die. That would be a great boon for those who came on the island to stop him…but for us; this presents us with…another opportunity. Once we grab a hold of the Scared Gem, we can use this to threaten Dhegensea and gain control of the dragons! So then…we can overthrow King Ashnard." These words brought grins to the faces of Xen, Lucius, Brax, and Laura.

Hisui, on the other hand, was frozen in shock. They planned to overthrow their own King!? She heard stories of the tyrant that was Ashnard…how he ruled over Pergrande with an iron fist with the 13 Commandants and the 4 generals who were much stronger than them. Why would they turn on him?! "…" For once, her silence was a good thing…for she could not even say a word.

"What about the other 7?" Brax questioned.

"If they know what's good for them, they'll join us in our attempt to overthrow the King and rule Pergrande." Xen nodded.

"Oh, I can't wait until we snag that Gem!" Laura's eyes lit up with excitement. "Then I can finally pay 'Lady' Nercon back for putting me in that horrid business…maybe I'll take over and show her what it's like to be thrown around between men like a sexdoll…" Her hand clenched into a fist just thinking about it. She was glad to be out of that business for now, but Nercon's words still lingered in her head…if she failed it was back to business.

"Now, I wouldn't let the Lady hear you say that," Brax warned. "After all, I heard she treats the gals well! …As long as they listen, anyway. You do listen, right?"

"….." Laura huffed before turning her head away. "We're going to overthrow the King and those stuck up Generals! It may be treason to the highest degree but we've earned this! And what about that traitor!? That blonde is still on this island!"

"Ah yes, mustn't forget about her. Least of all we come and finish out actual mission…" Lucius nodded. "Xen, Laura, why don't you two take care of that? I'm sure the both of you will get some enjoyment out of the encounter."

"Fine with me." Laura said while waving a hand.

"I will continue escorting this lovely princess to the castle to meet with the King. He may be down…but he isn't out. Nothing can kill Dhegensea unless it attacks the Scared Gem itself…there may be other exceptions, such as that rumored Eternal Sword…but there isn't a person alive who is capable of wielding it." Lucius said while gesturing for Hisui to stand, which she did. Again, she had no choice while around so many foes.

"I suppose I'll just spice things up a bit…" Brax chuckled. "Boy man, this rain is really putting a damper on things…and we're on a time limit, aren't we? Only a few hours until that cannon fires?"

"Yes, we'll need to act quickly." Lucius responded. "Commandants, fall out."

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.

"I think it's starting to crack…" Venoma said while poking the shell of light around Dhegensea; however she received a massive shock in the process and staggered back while rubbing her hand. "Ouch…! Damn it…"

"He will not die." Eizen spoke calmly. "There are only two things capable of truly killing our King, if you've forgotten."

"Don't talk to me as if I don't know!" Venoma huffed. "The Eternal Sword and the Sacred Gem…though the latter is more effective considering no one can wield that blasted sword. I would've thrown it out a long time ago if a dragon could touch it…"

"Precisely…though it's worrisome he's been encapsulated within that shell for a long time now…" Eizen sighed. "This rain isn't helping the mood either…" In the distance in the sky, he saw various shockwaves occurring and that only meant one thing to him. "And the heirs to the throne are duking it out, just as we predicted. It's troublesome not knowing which events are scripted and which are not…"

"Wake up, You Majesty!" Venoma threw her foot at the shell of light, but just as before she was shocked and hobbled backwards, holding her ankle in agony, comical tears stinging the purple haired woman's eyes. "O-Ow…why does that hurt so much!?"

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Next Time: Singing In The Rain


	41. Chapter 40: Singing In the Rain

"It's over here…" Mii pointed to the cave with her bloodied arm so Raven and Chelia could go in ahead. She followed shortly after with Kagura in her arms. "Geez, you need to tell me your secret…" She muttered as she walked into the cave where the others were waiting; they all had a nice little fire set up to keep them warm, probably due to the likes of Natsu and Draco. "I found them."

"W-What happened to you guys!?" Lucy's eyes widened at the injured people. "You all look horrible…! And what the heck were you thinking!? That was incredibly dangerous what you did! You could've been killed!"

Chelia looked down to the ground with a bit of shame. "I…I know…" She sighed. "It was my idea. I had a bad feeling so I talked Raven into coming with me to help Kagura…" She then winced, falling to her knees with all her damage catching up to her. "That man was really dangerous…"

"We're in this together, Chelia-san," Sting nodded. "You could've said something. Are you both okay?"

"A little bleeding never hurt anyway…" Raven groaned while leaning against a wall, holding his bleeding side. "While there's no bullet actually inside me, it hurt…"

"Mii! Your arm…!" Happy pointed to Mii's bleeding arm; the female's limb was soaked in scarlet.

"Collateral damage…" Mii responded with a shrug before gently placing Kagura on the ground. "I had to save those kids after all. But that's not important right now…I think we need to give her medical attention now. I can't tell if she's breathing or not."

Chelia scooted forward, placing her hands above Kagura as a soft sea-green light emitted from her palms. "Her wounds are fatal…" Chelia uttered, causing everyone to tense up. "I can keep her alive…but I don't know if she'll regain consciousness. That man really knew what he was doing…the wound in her stomach…across her chest…if he was just a centimeter closer I don't know if she'd be alive…"

"Bastard…ambushing us like that…" Natsu grumbled. "I would've given him a piece of my mind!"

Selene turned to Mii, who didn't seem all too bothered her arm was injured. "You're okay?" She asked.

"Ah…?" Mii blinked. It appeared she zoned out while looking at your arm.

"Are you okay?" Selene repeated. "Why did you save them? If anything I thought you hated kids, given your stunt back in the palace…" Violet eyes turned into a slight glare.

"I have my reasons." Mii responded before looking at Chelia. "Oi…what's gonna stop her from bleeding out? You can't close her wounds, can you?"

"No…" Chelia shook her head. "I can only soften things a little bit…"

"Don't worry!" Yukino pipped up, suddenly pulling out a first aid kit. "This is why I always have this ready in case of emergency!"

"Wha…?" Draco tilted his head.

"You carry around a first aid kit…?" Luke questioned.

"W-Well…" Yukino suddenly felt rather embarrassed about this decision, a red tint spreading along her cheeks. "We don't exactly have a healer in Sabertooth yet, so someone has to nurse the others back to health."

"She's amazing, too!" Sting suddenly exclaimed, just adding onto Yukino's embarrassment.

"Fro thinks so too!" Frosch grinned.

"So…" Yukino began while opening the kit, pulling out some gauze and bandages. "Allow me to patch up Kagura-sama's wounds. Chelia-sama, you've done enough, please rest." Chelia nodded and went to sit next to Raven and try healing him while Yukino moved to Kagura. She began opening up Kagura's blood stained kimono…only to stop halfway through because male eyes were staring. "D-DON'T YOU KNOW ITS RUDE TO STARE AT AN UNDRESSING LADY!?" She comically shrieked, causing Luke, Draco, Lector (who turned the innocent eyes of Frosch away), Sting, Rogue, and Happy to turn away.

"Idiots…" Selene shook her head while crossing her arms.

"I don't see what the big deal is…" Natsu just sat with a stale expression. "I've seen Lu-"

And before he could finish Lucy slapped his hand over his mouth and turned him away, her face heating up in embarrassment. "We're not talking about that!"

Mii sat there with a suggestive grin plastered on her lips. Good thing Yukino's rules didn't apply to her…but then Chelia sat in front of Mii with her cheeks puffed. "H-Hey..! Move it…! I can't see the goods!"

"E-Etto…" Yukino had an awkward sweat drop appear on her forehead before beginning to patch Kagura up. "She's breathing…but it's really light. Even if she does wake up I don't think she'll be able to fight."

"I hope she can wake up soon…" Rogue mumbled. "If not, we'll need someone to carry her…and that could slow us down or leave us open…"

It took a few minutes for Yukino to finish; once she did she closed Kagura's kimono and let out a small sigh. "There we go…that stomach wound was especially deep…" She then stood up and walked over to the sitting Mii, crouching down with a soft smile. "Give me your arm."

"Huh…!?" Mii's green eyes widened at Yukino's request. "Why…?"

"Because you're injured." Yukino merely replied. She didn't wait for a response and gently took Mii's arm, beginning to patch it up as best she could. "You're a strange one, you know that?"

"I…" Needless to say, Mii was at a loss of words for once. She didn't even offer up any resistance as Yukino wrapped the bandages around her arm. "What are you telling me this for…? You're the one offering the enemy help!? I-It doesn't even hurt…!" She blurted out, actually flustered from Yukino's actions. "I can still move my arm! It's fine!" Mii was speaking so fast she didn't even know what she was saying…and for the first time since anyone laid eyes on her, she winced in pained. Even Mii wasn't expecting this. "A-Ah…"

"Are you okay?" Lucy tilted her head at Mii. This was one side of her no one saw until now.

"S-Stop showing me concern…I'm fine!" Mii huffed; despite her flustered attitude she let Yukino finish bandaging her arm. Just after she spoke, Gray and Cana entered the cave on a whim.

"Ah, so people are in here…!" Cana let out a sigh of relief. "We can finally get out of that rain now…"

"Cana! Gray!" Lucy exclaimed with a smile on her face.

"Oi…so this is where you guys were…" Gray had a small smile on his face before noticing Mii, which turned that into a hateful glare. "What's SHE doing here?!"

"Aheh…" Mii giggled slightly and waved to Gray and Cana, almost as though she had no shame. What did surprise her was that Yukino stood in front of her in a protective manner. "W-What…?"

"Yukino, mind explaining what this is about?" Gray questioned with a brow risen. "You know she's the reason Hisui is trapped with the dragons, right?!"

"This entire thing is her fault, y'know." Cana crossed her arms under her bosom while waiting for an answer.

"Well, first off…" Mii chimed in. "See…Drake and I HAD Hisui…but some hot guy in a white coat stole her way from us…so I left the dragon's side to investigate these guys…"

"So…you lost her." Gray pinched his nose and let out an annoyed sigh. "I can't believe you. Why did you guys let her on your team again?" He then stared at Natsu, just now realizing the idiot was there. "And where the hell were you?! Jumping off the ship like it was a good idea!?"

"You wanna go right now?!" Natsu stood up, flames erupting from his person.

"Can't you two see that this ISN'T the time!?" Luke groaned from the Fairies stupidity.

"We didn't want to let her out of our sights again," Yukino answered. "So we took her with us…but then we got ambushed by a mysterious man who knows about the Etherion cannon plan. Kagura-sama tried to fight him…but…" Stepping to the side, she showed Gray and Cana the unconscious Kagura.

"We tried to save her…" Chelia looked down again, shamefully. "But he was too strong…and Mii had to save us…why did you save us?"

"…You're kids." Mii replied. "Almost adults…but the point is. You're still too young to be leaving this world. You have to experience it for yourself. It would be wrong if anyone tried to take you out of this world before you could. I guess that's just one thing I love about kids…" There was an honest smile on Mii's lips…for once she was telling the truth without having to shout or yell.

"You like kids…?" Lucy couldn't hold the surprise in her voice.

"That's funny…" Selene was the one who held the highest amount of skepticism. "If you love kids so much, why did you hold a gun to the back of Wendy's head yesterday? I'm sure anyone else would've sufficed."

"Anyone else also would've complicated things with their reactions…" Mii responded with a shrug. "Wendy's guard was down so I took advantage of it. Do I feel bad about it? Slightly…she's a cute kid, Cynthia's lucky to have her for the rest of the day…"

The way Mii spoke left an eerie feeling in the cave. The first one to speak was Gray. "What do you mean, for the rest of the day?!"

"Is there something you're not telling us…?" Cana's eyes narrowed before shaking her head. "No, here's a better thing to say. Start talking. Tell us everything you know about the dragons!" Everyone agreed with this sentiment.

Mii sighed, rubbing her injured arm while nodding. "Fine, fine…I'll spill. But can we get rid of this rain first?"

"Can't Jaxon do something about this?" Gray asked Luke, who shrugged.

"I mean…he could. But if he wanted to, it wouldn't be here." Luke replied.

"But it's hindering our progress!" Gray exclaimed.

"Listen!" Luke started. "If it's not hindering his team, it's not a problem…and as it stands now, we've got some injured and need to work things out. We still have some time."

"He's right, settle down." Rogue told Gray before turning to Mii. "Now, tell us everything."

"Right…" Mii cleared her throat. "I'll start with Cynthia first…you know, that girl is honestly something else. Back in Gaius' castle when Wendy was fighting Nasir…I held Cynthia in my arms for a bit. I know she was unconscious but she's…heavy. Not just in weight, but it felt like I was holding dead weight. Those deep injuries on her body…was she hit by a speeding train or something several times?"

"You ah…you could say that…" Lucy had a nervous sweat drop on her forehead at the mention of Cynthia's injuries. "She's…been through a lot."

"Aira did say something about how she shouldn't even be moving after that incident several months back…" Luke mumbled to himself.

"I see…anyway…" Mii continued. "Injuries aside, she was bitten by DRAKE for crying out loud! Wendy may have been able to slow the infection, but that's all she could do. If it started to affect her earlier today…it's going to turn her into a full dragon by nightfall." Those words caused the eyes of everyone to widen. "Unless Erza's team can heal her with the Mystic Water in time…she won't make it."

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Xen and Laura trudged through the rain, making way towards the outer edges of the jungle. Zen was unbothered by the rain while Laura just raised her hood to protect her hair. "Xen, did you notice?" Laura questioned without turning to look at her fellow Commandant. "The Princess, I mean."

"Hm?" Xen blinked before giving a small nod. "Yes, I did notice. Lucius has quite a hold on the female now, it's interesting how a little skirmish ended up with such a valuable bargaining chip within our hands. Though knowing him, he's likely already planned what he intends to do with the woman. She's already beginning to fall under that spell of his, so it's only a matter of time…"

"I wonder if those people will rescue her in time…" She then gave a nonchalant shrug. "Oh well, it doesn't matter. We've more important things to do…" Digging in her pocket, she pulled out the whistle Wes had. "Oh, when I find that girl again, I'm going to have so much fun with her this time…"

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"I suppose I don't have much of a choice left…" Venoma rested her injured foot on the ground before clearing her throat. "I'll have to use it to free our King. Otherwise we'll be lost before we can fulfill our duty."

"Are you sure?" Eizen questioned with a quirked brow. "You are aware of what using that will due to you in the long run, yes?"

"I'm well aware. But Dhegensea comes before my own life, as his loyal subject, that is how it is. I'm no mere pawn in this game of fate like Drake's soldiers," The dragon spoke while dusting off her robe. "Now then…" She walked outside into the rain, letting out a small sigh because it was ruining her hair. She stopped walking on one particular spot, and that lone action caused the city to tremble slightly. She was standing on a Dragon Vein, an area that resonates with the power of a dragon to amplify whatever it is they are about to use. "I'll begin with the ancient melody…one said to free a dragon from any curse. The Dragon's Melody."

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Next Time: Rainsong; The Dragon's Melody!


	42. Chapter 41: The Dragon's Melody

Time until Etherion fires: 5 Hours.

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"What do you mean Cynthia won't make it!?" Natsu shouted rather aggressively towards Mii.

"Do I have to repeat myself?" Mii tilted her head, wondering if Natsu really didn't understand or if he was just angry she stated it so bluntly. "Holding that girl for a few seconds told me that she's a walking miracle, and do I have to mention that her body is literally scorching hot right now? I saw Wendy holding her on the ship and I can only imagine how much pain she's putting herself through just lightly touching that girl…Nobody should be alive with those kinds of injuries."

"But she's walking and moving just fine…even fighting, too…" Lucy found this hard to believe. "I know she's taken hard hits in the past…"

"And the fact she's been bitten only makes it worse…you know what? I'm actually surprised she hasn't turned by now…we'd most certainly know about it if it happened." Mii was voicing her thoughts aloud now. "That infection spreads pretty fast from what I've seen and Wendy's healing magic can't keep it at bay forever…she can't be…willing herself not to get sick…? It doesn't work that way…"

"You'd be surprised…" Cana said while taking a quick swig from her flask. "If it comes to Wendy's or any of our safety, that girl can do anything…" Her mind flashed to when she tanked that blast from King just to keep Wendy safe; a blast that would've killed anyone else and Cynthia got up to assist in the final battle moments later. That girl was truly a miracle worker in some way or another. "But I got faith in Erza's team so save her and those other dragons before it's too late."

"Mmm…you have that faith," Mii quipped. "I can tell you're not done questioning me yet, so keep 'em coming. This rain doesn't look like it will be stopping just yet."

"Tell us about Dhegensea's dragons." Sting spoke up.

"Ah, his generals, so to speak." Mii nodded. "Well…there's Gaius, Nasir, Venoma, and Drake…we've already spoken about them. However, there are two more that didn't show up when we were here the first time; Edna, the Crystal Dragon, and Eizen, the Silver Dragon. But I was told you already had an encounter with Eizen."

"Crystal Dragon?" Selene blinked, leaning forward as though she were expecting Mii to say more about this.

"Yeah, Crystal. Hard stuff, ya know? Kinda like those diamonds of yours but possibly harder considering she's a dragon." Mii glanced towards Selene who now pouted.

"Nothing is stronger than my diamonds…" Selene muttered.

"And the missing mages?" Lucy prodded. "Luke is safe as we can see…Laxus was found by Levy's team…but we're still missing Leon, Takeru and Mira…"

"Yeah, where are they?" Draco asked Luke who only shrugged.

"I got separated from them trying to run and hide after you all left." Luke responded. "I do know they're alive, though. Those two have been through worse."

"So what about Mira?" Happy turned to Mii.

"Mirajane…" Mii's eyes averted slightly. "I don't know what happened to her. Like I said before, I tried to help bail her out of trouble when she was pinned down. I thought she was in the clear, but I heard a bloodcurdling scream…and Nasir comes back to the palace with her blood on his hands. He keeps saying she's dead, but there's no body…unless it fell into the ocean…" She realized that last thought was something she should've kept to herself. The looks she got told her this and she refrained from saying anymore by biting her tongue. She may not have always been the most serious person but even she knew when the tension was thick. "Sorry."

"We'll just find her." Natsu spoke as though Mii's comment didn't even faze him. "She's alive somewhere around here. I know she wouldn't leave Elfman and Lisanna behind like that!"

"Yeah!" Lucy grinned at Natsu's words. "Everyone's still fine. We just have to believe."

"The bond of love cannot be broken so easily," Chelia had a matter-of-factly tone to her voice.

"Right…" Mii rolled her eyes. "Anyways, that's all I know. Take it or leave it."

"We appreciate your help," Yukino said with a soft smile, once again throwing Mii off guard.

"K-knock that off…!" Mii shouted. "We're not exactly chummy here, you know. We're just looking for the same person."

"She's a real piece of work…" Luke shook his head. He then took a glance at Kagura, who was still unconscious. "Is she still out…? This could be a problem…"

A few moments of silence passed before Natsu, Sting, Rogue, and Selene all started to seem a little on edge. Lector was the first to notice and gently tugged at Sting's pant leg. "Sting-kun, are you okay?"

"You all seem a little odd…" Yukino pointed out.

"It's just…" Sting couldn't put his finger on it. "Since we've been on this isle, there's been that overwhelming presence…"

"That's Dhegensea…" Natsu grunted. "I know that presence anywhere…but after that strange darkness faded, that presence faded. Is that what you were going to say?"

"Yeah." Sting nodded. "It's been bothering me…what could possibly have happened to make such a presence vanish…"

"Ah…" Lucy inhaled softly, recalling the events all too well. It was the Spirit King who was the cause for this…she wanted to say it, but she choked up because everyone's safety now costed her Aquarius.

"Are you okay…?" Happy asked Lucy, but she didn't seem to respond.

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"Dragon Gods, please hear my voice. I use this in order to free my King whom has been trapped within a prison of light. The Kingdom needs him here and now, so please listen to my voice!" Venoma spread her arms apart, clearing her throat before beginning to sing. Her voice was rather glorious and it was clear she held a high standard for herself when it came to this. The Dragon's Melody was a sacred tune passed down to only a few select dragons every generation (hundreds of years in their case). It was no wonder Dhegensea selected Venoma for a general if this was the cause.

Eizen crossed his arms, a sweat drop appearing on his forehead. The Dragon's Melody was nothing to make light of. "We must really be in a bind if she's forced to resort to this…" He spoke to himself before glancing at the shell of light around Dhegensea. He noticed some of the cracks around it, which meant the seal was already being undone by the King himself, but at too slow of a rate. "Hmm…"

Venoma's song began to resonate through the entire field of magic that surrounded Isle, and as a result the very island itself began to quiver violently. The cracks on Dhegensea's shell began to spread, growing larger and larger. The shell was beginning to crack! At the end of it all, Venoma exclaimed; "AND NOW, MY KING! ARISE FROM YOUR FORCED SLUMBER TO LEAD US TO OUR DESTINY!" With this final shout, the shell of light completely shattered like glass; the bright light causing Eizen to shield his eyes. Venoma panted heavily, blue sparks dancing around her body before she fell to a knee, staring at Dhegensea hopefully.

Dhegensea laid still on the ground, the shocked expression he wore from before imprisonment faded. His eyes returned to normal and he remained motionless for just a moment. He then sat up slowly before standing up on his feet….and the first thing Dhegensea did upon awakening…was roar. A loud roar that shook the very skies itself, forcing the clouds above to disperse and the rain completely halted as a result. The setting sun was shining on the island once again…but dusk was soon to come shortly after.

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"Oh…!" Lucy realized one vital detail everyone had yet to bring up and of course it concerned Mii. "There's one more thing we have to ask you, Mii."

"What is it?" Mii turned to Lucy with a quirked brow. She had no idea what else they wanted to know.

"Who are you? Where do you come from? Why are you so important to this place…!?" Okay, so Lucy had more than one question but they all boiled down to the same thing.

"Oh…me…" Mii awkwardly looked away, unsure how to answer at first. "Well…I don't know why this place and I are connected, maybe it's fate. But as for who I am, well…" She sounded like she was actually going to finish speaking, but she halted when the earthquake, which was accompanied by Dhegensea's roar soon after. "H-Huh!?"

"T-That voice…!" Natsu's eyes widened before his hands suddenly went to his ears; Selene, Sting, and Rogue had a similar action in a strange attempt to block out the noise. "He's back!?"

"N-No way…!? Just what was that old fossil doing this entire time anyway…!?" Mii was just as shocked as everyone else.

"This isn't good! I think we've had enough of a break, we have to get moving!" Luke exclaimed.

"What about Kagura-sama!?" Yukino asked. "She's still unconscious and we can't carry her and fight at the same time…!"

"I got it," Cana nodded while pulling out a card. In a flash of light, Cana sealed Kagura within the card for safe keeping. "There. Now we can keep her safe without having to worry about it. Whenever she wakes up we'll see if she can fight, but for now…" Cana slipped the card into her pant pocket, patting it gently. "I'll keep a close eye on her!"

"Perfect, now let's get moving before things get out of hand…!" Sting was quick to be the first out of the cave, already noticing that the sun that just arrived was setting. "When did time pass so quickly…?"

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"Thanks for finally doing something about this rain…" Cygnus said to Jaxon while patting his wet hair. "It was really starting to mess up my gel."

"What?" Jaxon blinked as he stared up at the parting clouds. "Cyg…that wasn't me…"

"What? Then who…" Before Cygnus could finish, Dhegensea's roar finished his sentence; he stumbled slightly as the isle shook violently. "Well shit…looks like the old fossil woke up from his little dirt nap…!"

"This roar is too intense…" Heather mumbled while placing her hands over her ears to block out the sound. It looked like it was bothering Dragon Slayers more than anyone else. "We must hurry…"

"We've still got time…" Hibiki said while using his Archive Magic to check the time. "Based on the setting sun and the time we arrived on the isle…it appears as though we have roughly five hours left…"

"That's less than half the time…!" Melody shouted. "We've barely gotten anything done in the time we've been here…! The only thing we managed to do was lose the Princess and get deeper into the Isle…and then there's Kagura, I have a bad feeling about her, I hope she's okay."

"Stop worrying," Reve spoke, causing the others to turn to him. "We're fine. We knew coming into this that getting in was going to be the difficult part. We're in now, so we just have to keep going. We're going to find Takeru and Leon and shut this down before time runs out, and I'll be sure to shoot Dhegensea right in the head when it's all over."

"How can you say such a thing at a time like this…?!" Milliana questioned.

"Because…" Reve then flashed that patented cocky grin of his. "I'm Reve Volver."

"There it is…" Heather said while rolling her eyes in an annoyed fashion, though there was a hint of a smile on her lips.

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"T-That roar…" Ultear stared in the direction of the city. "I've never heard anything like it…it almost reminds me of…"

"Loud enough to wake me from my slumber…" Midnight grumbled, though even he could not hide his shock at the roar's might.

"Erik, is that…" Hoteye began and Cobra simply nodded.

"That's right…the voice of Dhegensea. I've not heard it before but there's no mistaking it…that's the Dragon King…" Cobra shut his eye, silently gritting his teeth as the roar tugged at some instinct within him.

"Such a vile noise…" Angel grumbled.

"It seems be better hurry…" Racer grunted.

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"AAAAAAAHHHH!" Between Cynthia and Wendy, Cynthia was suffering the worse from the result of Dhegensea's roar. Their tiny bodies weren't able to handle something of such intensity; they were on the ground, writhing around in agony while attempting to cover their ears to block out the sound.

"G-Geez…what do we do!?" Diamond was freaking out and the earthquake wasn't helping any. "T-They're suffering…!"

"There isn't anything we can do…" Tia grit her teeth while turning her head away from the suffering girls. "The other dragon slayers are probably suffering the same way…we just have to wait…"

"Wendy…Cynthia…!" Carla shouted worriedly for the two girls.

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In the clear skies above the Isle, Ena and Kurthnaga were still doing battle. Only they both halted the very second Dhegensea's roar echoed through the land for miles on end, eyes widening. "That's Father!" Ena shouted before turning to Kurthnaga. "We have to stop this needless fighting, Kurth!"

"I agree…" Kurthnaga nodded. "So give up and come back to our side, Sister. Father is in need of us now more than ever, and we cannot complete our dream without you by our side!"

"No!" Ena snapped. "You don't understand what you're doing! I know Father has you under his spell like he had me…you're just as compassionate as I am…so please…"

"I never thought I'd be standing on opposing sides with you…I'm sorry, but I must make this quick. I have to return to Father's side as soon as possible, even if it means disposing of you, my sister." Kurthnaga shook his head before lunging at Ena once more. The siblings combat was never going to end at this rate.

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"G-Geez…!" Blues groaned while covering his ears. "That roar…!"

"Blues-san, are you all right?!" Juvia questioned worriedly while looking over the water dragon.

"My ears…" Blues whined.

"This isn't good…" Meredy said while pointing to the blue-orange sky. "The sun is beginning to set…that must mean we're running out of time…"

"We have to hurry to the Lake!" Erza gave a firm nod and after that everyone started to run as fast as they could.

"I thought the rain was a bad omen…" Kuro muttered to himself.

Aira shook her head. "Usually, the sun breaking through the dark clouds is a good omen…but today, this is anything but…"

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Slowly, Dhegensea stopped his roar, letting out a heavy exhale afterwards. He turned to his partially broken castle before noticing Venoma on the ground. "Venoma…you used the Melody, didn't you?"

"I-I had no choice…" Venoma said while putting herself into a sitting position. "We were stuck…and there were…so many things happening at once…we didn't know what was a boon and what wasn't."

"I see…" Dhegensea nodded. "You've done well…I apologize for making you go through such an ordeal. I was careless against the Spirit King, however I will not falter from here on out."

"It's good to have you back, my liege…" Eizen took a knee before Dhegensea's presence.

"What have I missed? Where are Gaius, Edna, Nasir, Drake, and The Chosen?" Dhegensea questioned while motioning for Eizen to stand.

"Gaius is still stationed at the Lake, Edna went off on her own as usual…Nasir went to eradicate some of those humans while Drake decided to find that human he infected to bring her back here. As for The Chosen, I'm afraid I've no clue of her whereabouts. She went to investigate those white coat wearing humans and she hasn't returned since. I'm not quite sure what she may be thinking staying aloof for so long…As for your two children…they are fighting in the skies above just as you claimed they would. This is all Drake's soldiers have to tell me." That was all Eizen had to report.

With all that information, Dhegensea nodded slowly before crossing his arms. "I see…My absence has thrown the course of fate off balance slightly. But no matter, I am here to rectify that mistake. The first thing we will do is find The Chosen to bring her back here…and secondly; we must dispose of potential wielder of the Eternal Sword." Those words brought shock to Eizen and Venoma.

"P-Pardon, sire?" Eizen stammered.

"I thought nothing much of it at the time, but The Chosen told me that there was someone among those group of humans that had the potential to wield the Eternal Sword; the blade of our bane. That sacred blade's existence is exactly what keeps us in check…it is why I refused to make a move for so long. A blade that is capable of anything and one human on this island is capable of using it under the right conditions. Before, I refused to think such chance would play a large role, but with the Spirit King's actions…I was proven wrong. So we must do whatever we can to ensure a complete victory!"

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In a cave in an undisclosed location, Acnologia sat against a rock in his human form. His mind was wandering to various events, especially those that were most recent, such as the incident with Demons and King. He was infuriated that a human dared to take over his mind to use him like some puppet…just another reason he had to destroy humanity when the time was right. But that's when he heard it. Dhegensea's roar. His eyes shot open, a different kind of rage flowing through him now. "So you've finally decided to come out of hiding, have you?" Standing up, the Black Dragon took a few steps forward, his entire being seething in anger. "Dhegensea…the 'Dragon King'…" Acnologia scoffed at this title. "That is a false title you've held for far too long!" With a roar of his own, the apocalyptic dragon shifted to his own dragon form, completely destroying the mountain he was residing in. "I WILL TAKE BACK WHAT WAS STOLEN FROM ME, DHEGENSEA! FOR I AM THE TRUE DRAGON KING, AND THERE WILL BE NOTHING BUT DESTRUCTION!"

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Fairy Tail: Isle of the Dragons Part 2: END

Next Time: After the Rain Falls


	43. Chapter 42: After the Rain Falls

The skies over Fiore were clear; the rain came to an abrupt end. It's safe to say that Dhegensea's roar could've been heard off the coast of the country even from miles away. By this time, Jura was practically finished with the little idea he had in his head: he created a bridge of stone across the water that led directly to the isle. "Finished."

"Quite the bridge you've built, Wizard Saint!" That tone belonged to none other than Fairy Tail's ace, Gildarts Clive. He greeted Jura with a small smile, though the rest of his face was rigid with seriousness. "So, is that the Isle I've heard so much about?"

"Correct." Jura nodded. "Everyone is currently on there fighting from what I can assume, and with only a few hours left…"

"Ah! Just leave it to Natsu and things will be fine…" Gildarts spoke. "Is what I'd like to say, but I think even he's in for a run this time around. Besides…I heard these dragons have picked quite a few bones with my family. I can't let that stand for too long."

"You've been filled in I see…" Jura replied.

"Quite. Makarov's told me everything…even has a little surprise waiting for later if things get dicey. But for now…how about we take a stroll across that bridge and show those dragons why they shouldn't mess with humans?" Gildarts didn't even wait for an answer. He began walking across the bridge Jura built, cape flapping gently in the breeze passing by. Fairy Tail's Ace, and the Iron Rock Saint were going to join the battle.

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Ichiya was with the rest of Quatro Cerberus, and it looked like their group was doing repairs on the Christina, much to their dismay. One could hear Bacchus drinking his boredom away while the others just lie exhausted on the slightly repaired ship. "Man, this ain't wild! Why can't we be out there fightin' with everyone else!?"

"Yeah!" Rocker exclaimed towards Ichiya.

"We must have a backup team in case things go awry and we need to escape, men~" Ichiya explained with the usual sparkles around his person. "The day may have matured, however that does not mean we can't be ready for its growing changes. Rest assured, I'm sure the time will come for your handsomeness to shine brightly along with the radiance of mine, men~"

"Yeah I'm done with this…" Bacchus grumbled while taking another sip from his bottle.

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.

"So we're going to need a plan…" Luke said while rotating his previously injured arm; thanks to Chelia he was able to move it, though too much movement was ill advised. "How are we going to take on Dhegensea? Is he really that tough?"

"Tough scales," Mii replied. "Nothing is breaking those scales of his, they're way too tough. Maybe enough dragon slaying magic can wear him down, but don't take my word for it." The red head shrugged, adjusting her cap. "He's probably one of the strongest things alive if you ask me…it's going to take a lot of work to bring him down."

"I'll just hit him as hard as I can then!" Natsu grinned while pounding one fist into an open palm.

"Yeah, because that worked so well last time, didn't it?" Mii rolled her eyes at Natsu's remark.

"Next time will be different!" Natsu yelled.

"If I know Natsu-san, I know he won't fail a second time," Sting said while rubbing the back of his head. "But until then…we have to do something about these other dragons. I know they're going to be a nuisance if we don't deal with them soon…"

"About that…" Mii paused, turning on her heel to face the others. "You realize the situation you're in right? As Dragon slayers on an island of dragons."

"What are you getting at…?" Selene quirked her brow. "We can fight dragons, so what?"

"These dragons have specific orders to kill you." Mii explained. "I should know, I those orders as well, but you shouldn't count on me for anything. I'm asking if you dragon slayers really know what it means to slay a dragon."

"To slay a dragon?" Rogue blinked. "Of course Sting and I know what that means…we slayed our parents…"

"It means to take a life, yes." Mii nodded slowly. "To slay a dragon means to kill. If you don't have it in yourself to take a life, you won't last long against one of Dhegensea's generals. They won't just let it go if you knock them out, you have to KILL THEM. It's the only way to ensure they won't come back and bite you in the ass for your merciful actions." This was a kind of different side of Mii that not anyone was expecting.

"What's gotten into you…?" Gray questioned. "I thought you were on their side? And what happened to your hunt for those with white coats?"

"I'm just….giving you hints." Mii replied while clearing her throat. "That's all. It's up to you whether you want to believe me or not. After all, I'm not one to be trusted. I could be leading you into a trap~"

"There's no just straight line with this girl…" Cana sighed while pinching the bridge of her nose.

"If she wanted to act out she would've done so earlier." Lucy was rather firm in her assumption, which caused Mii to look at her.

"Mhm. She may be a strange one, but she's got a good heart down there somewhere." Yukino gave a nod of agreement.

"I'd appreciate if you stopped spreading such lies right in front of me…!" Mii huffed, cheeks puffed slightly as she crossed her arms. "I am who I am."

"I think she's flustered…" Lector said while nudging Frosch slightly.

"Fro thinks so too!" Fro brought his hand up.

"Stop it! Leave me alooone!" Mii whined while turning around, her face turning bright red as the two exceeds pointed it out. "I'm not listening to you any more lalalalala!"

"Very good, Chosen. Perhaps instead of listening to those humans, you listen to the orders given to you by our King?" Nasir's voice came from above; the sky dragon had his wings out while staring down the group. "Or perhaps you could continue that search you wanted to go on? Pray tell, how's that been going for you?"

Mii uncovered her ears, staring up at the airborne Nasir. "Ah, shit…"

"Back for more, huh!?" Natsu glared at the sky dragon.

"We don't have time for this." Chelia groaned. "We have to get moving."

"Hm, yes…it would be a shame if someone held up your time…" Nasir grinned before touching down on the ground with his arms crossed. "Well, allow me to fill that void, hrm? It's not like you're going anywhere anytime soon."

"Out of the way, Nasir." Mii rolled her eyes. "As you can see I'm doing things my own way, and I'd appreciate it if you didn't interfere."

"I could say the same thing, Chosen. Your choices are making things a little difficult for us…it would be nice if you were a good girl and played along as you were told, but I suppose we all don't get what we want, hmmm?" Nasir chuckled which only annoyed Mii. Currently Mii's allegiance was unknown the way Nasir made it sound, but currently she was with the good side.

"Oi…" Natsu cracked his knuckles before glancing towards back at the others. "I'll take care of him. You guys go on ahead."

"Oh no, Natsu-san…" Sting narrowed his eyes at Natsu before shaking his head. "You're not doing that lone-wolf act again. You've got three dragon slayers right here! We'll take him on with you!"

"Yes, that sounds like a smart idea…" Rogue nodded before turning to Selene, seeing if she was willing to offer her assistance. That answer was yes. "Lector, Frosch…go with the others. We'll catch up soon, I promise."

"Don't fall behind!" Gray exclaimed as he and the others ran off, leaving Natsu, Sting, Rogue, and Selene alone with Nasir.

"Hrm…" Mii couldn't help but look back at the battle going to commence. It bothered her how Nasir was going through the trouble of hunting her down. Just what was going on?

"Alright, Nasir…" Natsu took a step forward. "You may have gotten away from me once…but you're not getting away this time."

"Oh, you don't have to worry about that…" Nasir said as a wicked grin slowly stretched along his lips. "I'm not going anywhere."

.

.

"That rumblin' stopped…" Gajeel let out a sigh of relief. "That old fossil's roar was something else…"

"You felt it too?" Laxus briefly questioned.

"Yeah…no doubt the others did as well…" Gajeel nodded. "But that just means we gotta start hauling some ass. Who knows what's going to happen from here on out…"

"I agree…" Levy nodded while keeping Lily in her arms. She then glanced over to Elfman and Lisanna, flashing a soft smile. "Don't worry you two, we'll find Mira soon!"

"I'm not worried. I know Mira-nee is okay," Lisanna said with a small smile. "It's those around her we should be worried for.

"Though I say we should be worried about our decreasing time…" Freed interjected. "In more ways than one…"

"What are you talking about, Freed?" Evergreen questioned.

"The barrier…" Freed replied; everyone was beginning to notice the bead of sweat appearing on the rune mage's forehead. "It's been holding strong this entire time…but it's beginning to wear down. I'm not sure how much longer I can hold it up before it's shattered…"

"So a barrier of such a scale has been slowly eating away at your magic?" Bickslow concluded. "I suppose it doesn't help that they've probably sent forces to deal with it…just hold out as long as you can, buddy. You've lasted this long."

"Just don't go wasting your magic unless it's absolutely necessary. That barrier is the only reason Siegrain hasn't fired off that cannon yet…" Pantherlily warned.

"I understand." Freed nodded. He was really aware of the situation and a large amount of lives were depending on his ability to uphold the barrier that prevented the Isle's dragons from escaping to wreck having on Earthland. "Don't worry; I will do everything I can to keep the barrier up. You have my word on that."

"A true Man keeps his word! We're counting on you, Freed!" Elfman shouted.

"Think you could be a little louder with that?" Gajeel grit his teeth at Elfman's shouting. "Tell the enemy exactly where we are with your shouting…!" Gajeel wasn't making the matter any better so he received a smack to the back of his head from Levy's purse. "Ow…!"

"Quiet down, both of you…!" Levy hushed the two brutes with a stern expression on that adorable face of hers. "Let's just hurry and see if we can find anyone else befo-" And before she could finish, several shards of ice flew over her head. They were aimed at her or anyone in the group per se; they were warning shots. "Ah!?"

"Think that got their attention, Jules?" Nina Roulette asked while dusting her hands off, glancing towards her elder sister with a small grin on her lips.

"Judging by the looks on their faces, I'd have to say yes…" Julia said while giving a halfhearted shrug. "Attention: grabbed."

"Great, who are these guys?" Evergreen asked while preparing herself.

"They don't appear to be with that white coat wearing bunch…" Freed deduced. "Which can only mean that they're a part of another group. "But who?"

"Don't worry yourselves about that too much," Nina said with a growing smile on her lips. She cracked both her knuckles. "Just know that we're about to have a fun time!"

"Don't these idiots know we're pressed for time!?" Gajeel grit his teeth in annoyance. "What the hell are they every doing here…?"

"Oh, we're aware of what's going to happen…and we've carved out enough time for what we need to do." Julia responded while twirling around one of her braids. "But you don't have to worry about why we're here. The only thing you should be worrying about is yourselves."

"We don't have time for your nonsensical nonsense!" Elfman boisterously exclaimed while taking a step forward. "We've better things to do than mess around here! As a Man, I will deal with the two of you!"

"Alone? That's not a very smart decision…A little boring, if you ask me." Nina let out a small sigh before glancing towards her sister. "What do you think, Jules? Think he could be interesting to fight alone?"

"Elf-nii won't be alone…!" Lisanna corrected Nina while taking a step forward next to her brother. "We have to find Mira-nee, and I'm not going to let you take up that time..! S-So move..!" She was actually putting her foot down, or at least trying to.

"A battle between siblings? Well, well…" Julia's interest in this peaked just slightly.

"Are you two going to be okay?" Levy questioned.

"You go on ahead! We'll catch up! Man!" Elfman flexed while giving a nod to his comrades. "We're not about to die before finding Mira! That would be unmanly!"

"Looks like they're going to take care of this one…" Laxus said to the others. "Let's let them take it. They'll be fine." With that, the others went ahead to leave Elfman and Lisanna with Nina and Julia.

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Next Time: Howling Winds.


	44. Chapter 43: Howling Winds

"Fire Dragon's Claw!" Natsu yelled while swinging his flaming leg upwards, aiming for Nasir's chin; the Sky dragon dodged the hit by leaning back just slightly, not even allowing the heat of the flames to graze him. This didn't deter the Salamander whatsoever; instead he followed up, lunging forward while pulling his arm back. "And, Iron Fist!" Thrusting his flaming arm forward, Natsu aimed right for Nasir's chest, though Nasir blocked the hit with his forearm, only receiving a burn on his skin while sliding back a few feet. "Tch…!"

"My!" Nasir spoke mockingly, his grin matching his tone. "I can see how Gaius fell to such strength, quite a group of formidable opponents I have before me! The son of Igneel is truly something else!" With that he lunged forward with wind violently wrapping around his open palm. "Sky Claw!" The incoming slash was powerful, strong enough to send the defending skidding across the ground a few yards. "That's power right there, human."

"Agh…" Natsu groaned silently, feeling his arms throb from Nasir's attack. Yet he had the audacity to grin at the sky dragon with that defiant grin of his. "That stung, but I'm pretty sure Wendy could do better, since you lost to her."

"You…!" Nasir's eye twitched in anger. He was about to rush in blind against Natsu until he remembered the other three dragon slayers. He was reminded of it when Sting used the opening to blindside and strike with a light infused kick to his side, causing him to stagger backwards. "Oof…! That's right; there are more of you…Son of Wessolgia…Skiadrum…"

Sting slid back to regain his balance before lunging forward once more, light covering his entire fist. "White Dragon's Punch!" Swinging his arm forward, Sting aimed his fist for Nasir's face, only to be surprised to see how quickly the sky dragon could move; Nasir shifted his body to the side, allowing Sting to completely fly past him. "…!" Before Sting could react, Nasir brought his leg up to Sting's gut, using his superior strength to kick the white dragon away into a nearby tree. "Guh!" After his back hit the tree, he stared at Nasir with a tiny grin sown on his lips.

Just as Sting was sent flying, Rogue used this time to strike, appearing from Nasir's very own shadow with darkness engulfing his leg. "Shadow Dragon's Talon…" He spoke silently while twisting his body, aiming his magic enhanced leg for the back of Nasir's head. Unfortunately, Nasir caught wind of Rogue's voice and turned, blocking the strike with his burnt forearm, stopping Rogue's momentum completely. "Wha-!"

"Take a dirt nap, Shadow human…!" Nasir exclaimed while bringing his free hand up and down onto Rogue's head, slamming the shadow dragon into the ground with incredible force. As he withdrew his arm, Selene moved in for a strike.

"Diamond Dragon's Armored Horn!" The diamond slayer shouted while charging headfirst towards Nasir. Her diamond coated body slammed directly into the abdomen of the dragon; not even Nasir could withstand such might and was forced backwards with a small shout of pain. "And Diamond Dragon's Axe!" Selene shifted her momentum to a twist, bringing her diamond shielded leg down onto Nasir's head in an axe like motion, looking for a devastating impact. Too bad for her, Nasir caught her foot at the last second, though the ground cratered under his feet under such might. "How…?"

"Diamonds, hm…? Interesting…let's see how they hold up against this!" Nasir opened his mouth, unleashing a Sky Roar upon Selene from point blank range; the powerful twister sending the Eclipse mage soaring into the sky before she landed harshly onto the ground. "How do diamonds stand against the crushing power of the wind?"

"Rather well…" Selene had to take a moment to pick herself up, but her body was covered in diamonds and there wasn't a single scratch mark on them. She could only give a sly smirk while Nasir grit his teeth in annoyance. "Diamonds are the hardest known material to man, dragon, and demon…did you really think a little breeze was going to so much as put a mark on them? Besides…nothing can break through my diamonds anyway."

"Nothing a little elbow grease can't fix…" Nasir said while cracking his knuckles.

Of course, that was assuming he'd get the chance. Natsu was high in the air with a large ball of flames raised over his head. "Dazzling Blaze of the Fire Dragon!" Natsu hurled the blazing sphere towards Nasir who noticed at just the last second.

"Pest…!" Nasir grunted while jumping back to avoid the radius of the Blaze. A smoke cloud formed upon contact, shrouding the dragon slayers from Nasir's view. "Using smoke as cover as a backup? Perhaps you're dumber than I originally thought…"

Before Nasir could continue, Sting slid in from the Dragon's blindside with his hands cupped together. "Who said anything about cover!? I'm right here! White Dragon's Pulsar!" From his gloved hands, a cylinder of light shot out, consuming the Sky Dragon while pushing him away forcefully; not only was it meant to deal damage, but blind him as well.

"Agh! Damn you, son of Wessologia…!" Nasir groaned while bringing his hands to his eyes to shield himself from the light, but as a result he could not see what was going on, and the white noise created from the attack rendered his hearing slightly useless for a short time.

Rogue used this time to emerge from Nasir's shadow, wrapping his shadowy figure around Nasir's body to prevent movement while his hands were engulfed with shadows. "Shadow Dragon's Waxwing Flash!" Rogue pushed his palms forward, allowing the shadows within to rip and tear at Nasir, causing the dragon to let out a roar of pain in the process. Feeling he'd done enough, Rogue quickly unwrapped his shadow from around Nasir to allow Selene to move in.

"Don't get too comfortable!" Selene exclaimed while inhaling, cheeks inflated as she gathered magic within her mouth. Once she obtained the desired amount she threw her head forward, unleashing a vortex of small, but sharp diamonds towards their foe. "Diamond Dragon's Roar!" All Nasir could do at this point was defend against the attack by crossing his arms; those very diamonds he mocked moments ago were now causing him anguish as they dug into his scales and skin.

"And to end it all!" Just after Selene finished her roar, Natsu sprinted forward with a large blaze around his dominate arm. "Fire Dragon's Firing Hammer!" He thrusted his clenched fist forward, right at Nasir's face. Immediately after contact, a giant wave of flames followed suit, pushing the sky dragon into a boulder that exploded violently as it was overtaken by flames. "Heh! How was that, you bastard!?"

All fell silent for a few moments until Sting finally spoke up, panting softly. "Did we get him…?"

No. The wind picked up, completely shredding the boulder Nasir was in along with the lingering flames and smoke. Nasir's wings flapped as he hovered slightly over the ground. "That…was a cute little warm up."

"As I thought…" Rogue sucked his teeth. "I knew our attacks were hitting…but…"

"It didn't feel like we were actually doing that much damage to him, did it?" Sting knew what Rogue was going to say. "I know we hurt him…"

At that moment, Mii's words played back into Selene's head. These dragons were nothing to take lightly…even if they could knock Nasir out; there was no telling what he would do if he regained consciousness. That meant they had to slay him. "…"

"It's going to take much more than a few dragon slaying spells to even come close to putting me down!" Nasir exclaimed; suddenly, light blue scales started to form along his arms and legs; his claws and talons were revealed. It was the same level of power he used when fighting against Wendy, only this time it was notably higher. "Now that the little warm up is over…shall we begin, Dragon Slayers?"

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Mii turned to look over her shoulder once more, finally coming to a halt along with everyone else. "I think we should go back. You felt that shift in the wind, didn't you?"

"Yeah, so?" Gray scoffed. "Four dragon slayers against a dragon that one of our own has already beaten? He doesn't stand a chance."

"No, I don't think you understand…" Chelia's expression became stern. "The wind had a very unsettling shift…"

"And that's usually not a good thing…" Raven continued. It was a little weird how they were finishing each other's sentences.

"See, the little ones here gets it," Mii grinned slightly while patting Chelia on the head, which in turn caused the pinkette to shoo her hand away. "We gotta go back and help them. Chances are Nasir's finally taking the dragonling gloves off, and it won't be pretty."

"Do you really think it will be that bad, Mii-sama?" Yukino was feeling worried now, especially with Sting and Rogue fighting.

"Sting is the strongest, he'll be fine…!" Lector reassured Yukino.

"Rogue is there too!" Frosch grinned.

"D-Don't call me 'sama' there's really no need for that…" Mii let out a nervous laugh. "But yeah, we should go back and help them out!"

"You really know a lot about these things, don't ya…?" Cana was well aware they just finished questioning Mii, but maybe there were some things left out.

"Were you holding back on us…?" Lucy stared at Mii.

"Well…maybe…" Mii rubbed the back of her head. "Okay, look. The truth is, I…" Once again, Mii was interrupted. Several lightning daggers flew past the group, causing them all to split in two directions: Mii, Cana, Happy, Lector, Frosch, Raven, and Chelia on one side, and Lucy, Gray, and Yukino on the other; and just before anyone could do anything else, a wall of lightning appeared between the two groups. "What the hell?! Why can't I finish a sentence!?"

"Lightning!?" Lucy's eyes widened at the element.

"Oh, almost separated perfectly…" Laura snapped her fingers before shrugging. "Oh well…I suppose this will do."

"Excellent work," Xen chuckled, appearing alongside Laura on Lucy's side of the wall. "You seem to have caught some little gnats, but they won't pose to be too much of a problem."

"You again…!?" Lucy took a small step backwards. She wasn't in the physical mood to deal with Laura again.

"Yes, long time no see. I haven't forgotten how you humiliated my comrade and I yesterday…" Laura said with a small huff, though her lips grew into a sadistic smile. "But that's going to change now that I'm aware of the circumstances."

"You're the bastard that attacked the ship…" Gray glared towards Xen, who just wore a small smile.

"What do you want with Lucy-sama…?" Yukino questioned while reaching for her key ring, preparing to battle alongside Lucy.

"Let's just say…she's under suspicion for having something we want. If it's true she has it we're going to have to bring her in under custody of Pergrande. National affairs and all that, I'm sure you'll understand."

"I don't! Leave me alone!" Lucy shouted.

"I'm sure the Princess wouldn't mind a diplomatic debate about this…" Laura snapped her fingers as she realized she missed the opportunity. "Oh well, when I bring her your unconscious body I'm sure we can work something else."

"Ah ha! So you DO have Hisui…!" Mii shouted, trying to rip apart the electric gate before her but received a zap strong enough to send her staggering backwards. "Oof…okay, that didn't work…"

"Are you okay!?" Chelia asked while looking over Mii. "You shouldn't be moving that arm either…!"

"I-I'm fine…" Mii said while rubbing her arm.

"You're in for a surprise if you think you're just gonna take Lucy without a fight…" Gray said while slamming his fist into his palm. Gray was going to fight Xen, while Lucy and Yukino were going to fight Laura.

"I think…" Xen began while extending his arm forward, his shield of artificial ice forming along his limb. The shield then floated in front of Xen by use of telekinesis while two fingers were placed on the center of his forehead. "You're in for the surprise believing that you can face off against two of the Pergrande Kingdom's Commandants…"

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"We'll see if this'll be fun or not!" Nina exclaimed before taking a position nearly identical to Gray's: a fist was in her palm as a chilling wind wrapped around her being. "Ice Make: Freeze Lancer!" Thrusting her arms forward, the blonde unleashed enlarged ice lances towards the pair of Strauss siblings.

"She's like Gray!?" Lisanna exclaimed in shock before taking evasive maneuvers, using her Tigress soul to move quickly through the incoming lances of ice, weaving through them with relative ease thanks to her increased speed.

"Another copycat? How unmanly, one is enough!" Elfman shifted to his Lizardman takeover, bringing up a scaled forearm to defend against the ice lances coming his way. As a result he hardly took any damage. "Now it's our turn!" Elfman dropped the Lizardman in exchange for Weretiger, and along with Lisanna the two rushed down the Roulette siblings. Elfman aimed a series of slashes at Julia while Lisanna did the same for Nina.

"Oh, these two aren't bad…" Julia muttered while leaning side to side to avoid Elfman's attacks. They were faster than she anticipated so some of the strikes managed to land, though she bit her tongue to prevent letting out any sounds of pain. The final slash was evaded with a leap back, and Julia placed two fingers on the side of her temple. "Let's see…ah! Sonic Spear!" As she said this, a green spear appeared in her grasp. "The luck of the draw."

As for Nina, she had an easier time evading Lisanna's strikes than Julia had with Elfman. Each slash Lisanna aimed was effortlessly avoided, though her claws did graze Nina's skin to draw a little bit of blood. "Ha!" Nina aimed her boot for Lisanna's stomach, using her physical strength to kick the youngest Strauss sibling away, forcing her to tumble along the ground. The blonde then held her hand up, forming a simple, but big bomb in the middle of her palm. "Bombs away!" And she chucked that bomb at Lisanna with massive force.

Lisanna caught herself on all fours, coughing slightly from the force of Nina's kick. Before she could do anything else, Nina already threw the bomb towards her. "B-Bomb Magic…!?" And the bomb exploded on her rather violently, creating a large cloud of smoke.

"Lisanna…!" Elfman turned his attention away from Julia to show worry for his sister.

"You must be pretty confident to look away from me!" Julia shouted while spinning her spear before thrusting it forward, unleashing a massive gust of wind that sent Elfman flying backwards before hitting the ground on his back.

"Ugh…I'm okay…" Lisanna groaned while picking herself up; another seal appeared above her as she changed into her half-bird takeover, using her wings to take into the sky with incredible speed, soaring above the Roulette sisters. She wasted no time diving down towards Julia with her foot extended, slamming her heel into the eldest Roulette with enough force to send the brunette barreling into the ground. Lisanna retreated back into the sky, well above the reach of either Empyrean wizard.

"Man!" Elfman used Weretiger's superior speed to lung at Nina while Julia was taken care of, aiming a powerful kick for the temple of the female. A direct hit! And one that caused the blonde to tumble before recovering. She wasn't even annoyed by this; instead she had a wide, satisfied grin on her lips.

"Aw yeah! This is better than I thought it was going to be!" Nina lived for the thrill of a good fight, no matter when and where it occurred. "Jules, you okay?"

"I'm fine," Julia said while dusting herself off, grumbling at the shoe-imprint on her face. "Just annoyed." Glancing up into the sky at the airborne Lisanna, Julia got an idea. She began spinning the spear around; creating a maelstrom that harmed everyone excluding her and Nina. The wind storm made it incredibly difficult for Lisanna to stay in the air.

"A-Ah…! Whoa…!" Lisanna was trying her best to stay in the air, but that changed the second Nina made use of Gravity magic, forcing Lisanna right into the ground with enough force to cause a small crater while Elfman was down to a knee. "G-Gravity magic too!? W-What are you…!?"

"W-What is this…?" Elfman struggled to even stay on a knee within Nina's gravity field. "How can you use so many kinds of magic at once? Are you like Luke…!?"

"Not sure who that is…" Nina said with a shrug. "But I can assure you I'm not like anyone you know. You ever hear of that thing called Random Chance?"

"That's us, we're pretty much embodiments of that." Julia said while tapping her temple with one finger. "Roulette Sisters is the name, Random Select is the game. And we're going to show the both of you just how terrifying 'Random Chance' can be."

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Next Time: Random Chance!


	45. Chapter 44: Random Chance

"Now then…let's end these games and start playing for keeps…" Nasir glared towards the four dragon slayers before starting off with a simple motion; he drew his arm back before swiping it forward, and just by doing that a massive twister formed, heading for all four dragon slayers.

"What the…!?" Sting felt the very ground tremble at the might of the twister. He crossed his arms to soften the blow but he was just thrown off his feet like Rogue, Natsu, and Selene in a violent fashion. "Gah!"

"That was something else…" Rogue grunted.

"I guess he's really serious now…" Selene said while shaking off the impact.

"Like that's gonna stop me!" Of course, Natsu wasn't going to be one to stay down. He got right back up and charged Nasir, only to be surprised when Nasir met him more than halfway with his claw raised. "Ga…!" Before Natsu could utter another word, Nasir slammed his palm into Natsu's head, crushing the Fire Dragon into the ground.

"Natsu-san!" Sting gasped slightly at Nasir's improved strength. He then cupped his hands at his sides, forming a white sphere in the empty space within his palms. "White Dragon's Holy Ray!" Sting threw his arms forward, unleashing large rays of light towards Nasir.

"Hmph!" Nasir grunted and took to the air to avoid the holy ray much to Sting's dismay. He then twisted his body before sending a roundhouse kick at the air, sending a powerful gale towards the others that completely destroyed the ground in its wake.

"Gah!" Sting and Rogue were both blown back by Nasir's power, though Selene managed to hold her ground thanks to her diamonds.

"This is ridiculous…" Selene grunted in slight annoyance before allowing her arm to morph into a diamond blade with jagged edges, beginning to rotate like a chainsaw; this was based off of Gajeel's very own Iron Dragon's Sword. Bending her knees, the diamond slayer leapt into the air to challenge the sky dragon. "Diamond Dragon's Sword!" She brought her arm down in a diagonal motion, slashing Nasir's scaled chest. The hit seemed to make contact as the dragon hissed in pain and a slash mark formed along his scaled chest.

Before Selene could do anything else, Nasir's hand wrapped tightly around her neck. "You've been quite annoying…" He began lifting higher into the air, rearing the arm back that held Selene. "Let's see how well these diamonds you praise so much hold up under a toss from a mile in the sky?"

"You wouldn't…!" Selene grunted while attempting to pry Nasir's hand away from her throat with her own.

"Watch." Nasir then threw his aforementioned arm forward, sending Selene spiraling to the ground with such force a mini explosion occurred, kicking up a large cloud of dirt and smoke. "Those diamonds aren't invincible. Everything cracks eventually." He spoke while crossing his arms, descending back to the ground with a cocky grin."

"Those scales of yours seem pretty fragile now that I think about it…" Selene spoke as the dust settled. She was struggling to keep balance and staggered a little, though the overall damage she took was significantly reduced due to her diamond scales. "I mean, only one attack and there's a mark…? You just threw me from the sky and the only thing I got was a little motion sickness…" She admitted, though one couldn't see her pale face thanks to the sheen of her diamonds.

"You…!" Nasir grit his hand into a tight fist from annoyance. "Upstart…" Wings opened and he flew towards Selene at a low altitude, but she didn't move an inch. Instead she just wore the faintest smirk on her lips. "You should really watch your shadow. But I guess it is hard to see in this dusk lighting."

Nasir ignored Selene's remark, which was a costly mistake on his end. A pair of ruby optics shone from the dragon's shadow, and just before he could reach the diamond slayer, Rogue, in his Shadow Drive, emerged with shadows surrounding his hand in a claw-like form. "Shadow Dragon's Furious Claw!" He slashed right at Nasir's exposed stomach before retreating into the shadows; Nasir's eyes widened and he fell right to the ground, sliding across the rocky dirt in pain.

Sting, within his White Drive, was now the one falling from the sky, white dragon slaying magic wrapped around his extended foot. "White Dragon's Flash Stomp!" Sting's boot crashed directly onto Nasir's skull and a brilliant white flash exploded from impact. After the Flash Stomp, Sting leapt away while looking into the sky. "Now, Natsu-san!"

On that cue, Natsu was in the air with a wild fire blazing around both of his arms. "Secret Dragon Slaying Art! Crimson Lotus: Exploding Flame Blade!" Natsu threw his arms forward while twisting his body in a counterclockwise motion, unleashing a gigantic wave of flame towards the downed Nasir, consuming the sky dragon in the sea of fire. Natsu landed on his feet, panting moderately hard after unleashing one of his strongest moves. A cloud of smoke formed at the sight of impact.

"Was that enough!?" Rogue asked the others.

"Here's hoping…" Sting replied.

"HYAH!" With a cry, the wind picked up and dispersed the smoke to reveal a damaged Nasir in the middle of a crater. Unfortunately the damage wasn't enough to put the dragon down.

"No way…" Selene grit her teeth.

"He's still standing!?" Natsu clenched his fist.

"You dragon slayers are starting to become rather annoying now…" Nasir said while dusting off some rubble. "I'm going to finish things right now. Then you won't be a potential bother to Dhegensea. Please understand…this is completely personal, but in a way you'd never understand."

.

.

"Is there any way to bypass that barrier!?" Raven looked to Luke, Draco, and Cana since they were the eldest ones current on their side. "We have to help them…!"

"Brute forcing it doesn't seem to work judged by Mii's attempt…" Draco said while rubbing the back of his head.

"Oh, idea…!" Chelia nodded before turning to Happy. "Happy, fly me up!"

"Hey wait a second, you shouldn't be fighting!" Cana yelled at Chelia but the pinkette wasn't listening.

"O-Okay…!" It didn't seem like Happy was listening either. He went behind Chelia and lifted her into the air with his sprouted wings, only to find that the fence of lightning was actually a large helix that was impassable. "Whoa…!"

"It's covered on all sides…!?" Chelia clenched her fist in a slightly annoyed fashion. "Darn it…!"

"Sorry, sweetie," Laura spoke tauntingly towards Chelia. "Only those I want can pass through here, and right now I don't want any of you interfering with this little mission of ours. But if you really want to be next, I'll keep you in lin-" She was so focused on her little monologue she completely took her attention off Yukino and Lucy; as a result Yukino slammed her knee into Laura's gut, causing her to hunch over; a swift punch landed against her cheek, finishing off with a roundhouse kick to the temple. The surprising close combat assault sent Laura staggering backwards a few steps before coming to a halt, turning her head to the side to spit out some blood. "Well…that was rather rude, wasn't it…"

"Did you know she could do that…?" Draco looked incredibly surprised while staring at Lector and Frosch.

"It gets me every time..." Lector replied with shock in his eyes.

"That other guy was saying something about wanting Lucy for something…" Luke grumbled. "But I'm afraid I'm as clueless as the rest of us…and it's not like they're going to state their motives."

"Where's Sparky when you need him…" Cana growled lowly at Laura.

"Well, since you wish to be so rude…" Laura pulled out several lightning daggers. "I suppose I'll have to teach you a lesson!" In one swift motion Laura threw her knives forward towards Yukino, each one representing a bolt of lightning.

"Ah…!" Yukino squeaked while leaping back to avoid the daggers. She was unable to avoid all of them and multiple daggers grazed her skin while sending a high voltage shock through her system, causing her body to jerk without her consent. "O-Ow…!" And before she could do anything else, Laura moved in and slammed her electrified heel into Yukino's temple, sending her skidding along the ground.

"Yukino..!" Lucy's attention was completely on Yukino, therefore she left herself open for Laura's palm strike to her chest, sending her flying back until she hit a tree. "Oof…!" And right then was when her previous injuries from the battle with Wes started acting up. "O-Ow…"

"What's the matter?! Are we being slow already!?" Laura grinned sadistically as she placed several daggers between her knuckles, each one sparking dangerously with electricity; the Commandant closed the distance between the two of them rapidly, aiming to stab Lucy right in the chest. "Guess that little good for nothing had a little use after all!"

"Gate of the Goat, I open thee! Capricorn!" Lucy asked as quickly as she could, pulling out a golden key and swiping it forward. On that cue, Capricorn appeared and stopped Laura's charge by aiming his hoof right at her chest, more than enough power packed into the blow to send her staggering back.

"Are you, Lucy-sama?" Capricorn gave a small bow as Lucy recovered and gave a nod.

"Mhm…! Thank you, Capricorn!" Lucy gave an appreciative smile.

Yukino stood up, shaking her head to remove whatever dizziness she had. "Sorry about that, Lucy-sama…" She then pulled out a golden key, wearing a serious expression. "Gate of the Scales, I open thee! Libra!" A bell chime echoed in the area and out came the Zodiac Spirit, Libra. Yukino pointed at Laura while shouting; "Increase the gravity around her!"

"Hai." Libra nodded and a magic seal appeared over Laura, the gravity field increasing around the blonde to force her onto a knee.

"Tch…!" Laura grunted, feeling the gravity push her down. "I hope you don't think this will keep me down!" Suddenly, that annoyed expression of hers turned into one of a smirk and she literally vanished from sight, catching the celestial duo off guard. When Laura appeared, she was surrounding them with several clones, all of them preparing to charge.

"S-She can make duplicates!?" Lucy's eyes widened as she circled around to all of the clones surrounding them. Before anything else could happen, Laura and her clones zipped past her and Yukino with lightning speed, a miniature eruption of lightning occurring after impact that sent the celestial tag team spiraling away before hitting the ground. "Oof…! S-She didn't do that last time…"

"S-She didn't…?" Yukino gasped for air while placing her forearms on the ground, wincing as sparks danced around her body.

"Of course I didn't!" Laura scoffed at Lucy's incompetence. "Why would I show my entire hand to my opponent in the first round? I can't let you read me like a book, now can I?"

.

"Ice Make: Lance!" Gray threw his arms forward, unleashing several lances of ice towards Xen.

"Hmph…such pitiful ice." Xen shook his head at Gray's attack, bringing up his shield by use of telekinesis. The shield absorbed the attack, glowing a bright shade of blue before eventually fading. "Allow me to show you a REAL ice attack!" The Commandant raised his hand, a chilling wind blowing through the small area within the electrical gate. "Ice Shard." Several large, but sharp pieces of ice raced towards Gray at breakneck speeds.

"What the…!?" Gray's eyes widened as his ice was absorbed into Xen's shield. Before he knew it, the Ice Shard was coming his way faster than he anticipated. "Ice Make: Shield!" Throwing his arms forward, the ice maker created a shield of ice to protect him. He underestimated Xen's power; each shard of ice created a large crack within his shield. It only took three to shatter Gray's ice shield, while the other shards struck him directly. "Gah…!" Gray was thrown back by the surprising power Xen contained. "What the hell was that…?" Gray grunted while brushing off the attack as best he could.

"That's the power of true Ice," Xen said with a condescending chuckle. "Maker magic is by far the weakest use of ice magic…" A magic seal then appeared under Gray; it was harmless and when he tried to avoid it, it followed him. "Don't mind me. I'm just collecting your data. Oh, what's this…? You were taught this by Ur Milkovich? Interesting…shame someone of such a high standard resorted to the lowest use of magic."

"You bastard…" Gray clenched his fist at Xen's insult. He then placed his fist into his palm again, another chilling wind wrapping around his body. "I'm not going to sit here and let you talk about my teacher like that! Ice Make: Cannon!" A cannon of ice formed along Gray's shoulders and he steadied his arm. With one flick of the trigger, the cannon unleashed a massive burst of ice that rapidly traveled towards Xen.

"I'm surprised you haven't learned after the first time…" Xen shook his head before bringing up his shield again. The explosion of ice that occurred from impact was absorbed into Xen's shield once again while he laughed. "Ice doesn't work on me, Gray Fullbuster! And now that I know your parameters…I can say this fight is as good as decided."

"You think so, huh…?" Gray grit his teeth in annoyance. He didn't appreciate being belittled like so, and he was looking forward to wiping that grin off Xen's face. He could only hope Lucy and Yukino were doing okay in their fight just a few yards away.

.

.

"I know you've heard of random chance…" Julia said while placing two fingers on her forehead; in her head, a wheel of weapons began to circle around one another. "Ah!" Once she selected a new weapon, the Sonic Spear vanished, replacing with a blade that was all too familiar; Lex's Centurion blade. Here was the newcomer, wielding the late Commandant's blade like it was nothing. "What a lucky draw! I found this just lying on the ground nearby!"

"That weapon…" Lisanna attempted to move, but the gravity field Nina had kept her from moving. "Ooof…!"

"Come on, if you can't make it out of this, then the fun goes away…!" Nina had a small pout as she spoke. She was actually disappointed in the Strauss siblings thus far.

"Don't…underestimate…a MAN!" Elfman bellowed before suddenly burrowing into the ground in his Beast Soul. He vanished from sight, surprising the two females for a brief second.

"Going underground? I'll just flush you out." Nina stepped on the ground, causing another pulse of gravity to emanate in the area. Lisanna felt her bones being crushed from the increased intensity of the gravity field while the ground began to shatter and give way.

"E-Elf-nii…!" Lisanna cried out.

The ground cracked and shattered; Elfman leapt up with a rising uppercut to Nina's chin. The force was more than enough to throw the Empyrean off her feet, into the air, and backwards, causing the gravity field to disperse and free Lisanna. "MAAAN!"

"Nina…!" Julia's eyes widened upon seeing her sister thrown back. Immediately, her grip tightened around the handle of the Centurion and she lunged forward, raising the blade over her head to crush Elfman with it.

"I won't let you touch my brother!" Lisanna shouted while flying forward, slamming her heel into Julia's gut. Impact caused the green eyes of Julia to widen as the breath was taken from her. "And here's another one!" There was a follow up; the youngest Strauss twisted her body, slamming her heel against Julia's temple for a roundhouse kick that sent the opposing female tumbling along the ground. "Elf-nii!"

"Thank you, Lisanna!" Elfman exclaimed with a grin before opening his palm, allowing Lisanna to land right on top of his hand. He reeled his arm back before throwing Lisanna forward at breakneck speeds.

"Animal Soul: Armadillo!" Lisanna tucked her body in as a glow appeared around her; she shifted into an armadillo, spinning at such rapid speeds towards the two females. BAM! A direct hit, both Empyreans were sent sprawling along the ground. Lisanna bounced back and landed just in front of Elfman, giving her brother a grin. "Ah, I think we did it!"

"Nice job, Lisanna!" Elfman gave his younger sister a thumbs up.

"Wow, you two hit hard…" Nina groaned while bringing herself up. "You've got some pretty great synergy for a pair of siblings…that's what makes this pretty fun, right Jules!?"

Julia used the Centurion as a method to help herself up, coughing slightly while scowling at the two Strauss siblings. "Fun isn't the word I'd use for this…maybe a little more obnoxious?" At the end, the two didn't seem to fazed by Lisanna and Elfman's assault.

"No way…" Elfman clenched his fist. "That wasn't enough? These two are stronger than they look…Then I guess we'll have to hit them harder!" Elfman stayed within his Beast Soul and he was ready to move at a moment's notice.

"Mhm…! And then we have to catch up with the others to hunt for Mira-nee after!" Lisanna shifted to her Tigress Soul, preparing to pounce on the two females once again to initate round 3 of their bout…until two chakrams of flame raced to both parties. All four leapt away as a path of flames was carved into the ground. "W-What the…!?"

"Where did that come from…!?" Julia questioned before turning her head in the direction the two weapons came from.

The chakrams returned to their wielder, Brax, who hung one over his shoulder while giving a smug grin. "Well, didn't think I'd be one to run into a little sibling rivalry scuffle like this. I hope you wouldn't mind if I joined in, I've been pretty bored since I got on this island. And if you're wondering what who I am, I'll tell ya, just be sure to remember. The name's Brax, one of the 13 Commandants of Pergrande. Number 4. Got it memorized?"

.

.

"Are you two SURE you're okay?" Tia examined Cynthia and Wendy as their group began to exit the jungle. Both of the girls seemed fine and were walking perfectly normal, which was impressive considering Cynthia's condition and how Dhegensea's roar affected them.

"Y'know…" Cynthia said while rubbing her somewhat scaled arm. "After that roar, it's not nearly as difficult to breathe as it was before, and I don't have the urge to kill everything in sight…but…" It was clear she was still worried about herself. The red scales that started from her shoulder were now running down the length of her arm and up her neck.

"Are you okay, Cynthia?" Wendy immediately turned her gaze to Cynthia. For now she wasn't holding onto the girl to keep her safe but that was ready to change at a moment's notice.

"For now…" Cynthia nodded.

"It looks like the use of magic speeds up the Dragonization process…" Spade deduced. "So that means that you can't use magic like before."

"Yeah, that was really dangerous…!" Diamond said with a small giggle. "I mean, even though I wasn't near you I could feel the heat all the way from there. But I can't deny that it didn't save us then."

"Aheh…well, you know…" Cynthia rubbed the back of her head in a sheepish manner with a small grin. "When you mess with a fire dragon slayer like myself you're in for no danger!"

"Oooh, I get it! Like inferno danger!" Strong was pretty amused with himself for getting the joke, while the others just groaned painfully.

"Yeah, she's doing okay…" Wendy giggled to herself at Cynthia's horrible pun.

"Just a little longer until we reach the city…" Ace nodded, but then stopped in place, taking a scan of their surroundings. "Uh oh…"

"Uh oh WHAT?" Diamond raised a brow while shifting to a defensive stance.

"You're surrounded, that's what!" Drake exclaimed while appearing from the front, his soldiers appearing around Dealer's group. "How's that for a surprise!?"

"Shit!" Jack cursed though Heartless thwacked him on the head for using such language. "OW!?"

"You're a child, act like it." Heartless scolded him in the middle of this situation. "Where do you even pick up this laungage…?"

"Now's not really the time for that…" Tia mumbled while glancing around. Unfortunately they were completely surrounded. "Shit…we' really are surrounded…"

"What do you want?" Ace was rather calm in this face of danger. Though he already had an inkling of an idea of what it was Drake wanted from them since he didn't come alone.

"It's pretty obvious what I'm here for." Drake pointed at Cynthia, who was currently being shielded by Wendy standing in front of her. "You, the one I bit. Cynthia, was it? Two things. One: How are you not a dragon by now!? It's been over 24 hours and what's that, it's only up to your arm!? And two: Come quietly and I won't be forced to hurt your friends."

"Ah…" Cynthia narrowed her eyes at Drake's question and his demand. "I have a good immune system…this is the first time I've been sick in ages…plus Wendy's magic helped a lot. And NO."

"I don't think you understand your situation here…you don't have a choice." Drake made one hand movement and the dragon soldiers opened their mouths, preparing to gather magic for a multitude of roars. "If you move an inch and I don't like it, my men here are going to blast you into oblivion."

"We're not letting you take Cynthia…" Wendy's guard over her best friend only increased at the threat.

"We're pinned down; I don't think we can negotiate in a position like this…" Diamond grunted while glancing at the others. "What do we do…?"

Spade looked to Heartless and Ace with a nervous sweat drop. "Looks like we're going to have to bring 'that' out…"

"Are you serious…?" Ace blinked before looking at Spade and Heartless. "Already? Is it even ready?"

"Not quite…but it should be sufficient for the time being…" Heartless responded with a small nod.

"What on earth are you three talking about…?" Strong tilted his head curiously along with Tia, Jack, and Diamond. Clearly there was something that was on a need to know basis.

"What's going on…?" Carla looked at the others, just as clueless as they were.

"I hope you're mumbling how you're gonna get out of this…then again you only have one option." Drake spoke cockily.

"Actually…" Spade took a few steps forward, causing Drake and his men to go on guard in preparation to swarm them. "We've another option. Option B, if you will. COVER YOUR EYES!" He yelled at the others and they did just that without question. Shine Spark!" Spade clapped his hands together, essentially creating a flash of lightning that shocked and blinded the surrounding dragons. "NOW!"

"Here goes nothing!" Ace said while pulling out a red sphere from his pocket, tossing it forward while clicking some things on the lacrima attached to his wrist. "Lacrima, activate! Project: RJ! Online!"

"RJ…? Where have I heard those initials before…" Carla couldn't quite put her finger on it.

"You little shits…!" Drake groaned while his eyes slowly recovered from the flash Spade delivered. When they opened, he just saw that lacrima sphere sitting in the middle of everything. "Is that your big idea? A lacrima!?"

"Not just any lacrima…" Heartless continued. "Rise…Joker."

The red lacrima pulsated violently before it began to take shape; a familiar built starting to to form: a large, bulky male started materialize before everyone. Soon, the one member of Dealer who had not been spoken of in months appeared before them all: Joker. Blue shades clicked over the eyes of the male and a bright shine emitted throughout the area. "Systems check: All green. Objective: Eliminate Dragons. Red Joker: Online!"

.

.

Next Time: The Dreadful Joke.


	46. Chapter 45: The Dreadful Joke

Red Joker stood between Drake and the middle of his men; there was a tense atmosphere as Wendy, Cynthia, Carla, Jack, Tia, Diamond, and Strong stared at the reborn Joker. "J-Joker…" Tia wasn't afraid; it was more so the mixture of shock and confusion of how he was back that had her at a loss for words.

"The hell is this?" Drake questioned with a somewhat nervous sweat drop. He could feel Joker's power and even to him it was a little unnerving. "I didn't think you'd have an ace in the hole like this…"

"Neither did we…" Diamond retorted while staring at Heartless. Heartless, Ace, and Spade had a lot of explaining to do when this situation was over.

"Systems seem to be green…" Spade said while running a quick diagnostics check.

"Well I'm going to spill RED all over!" Drake then barked commands to his soldiers. "Take 'em all out, NOW! And bring me that girl, preferably alive! Dead works too at this point." On that cue, Drake's soldiers flew forward towards Joker.

"Hmph…" Joker scoffed as the soldiers raced towards him. One soldier attempted to claw at him with blinding speed, however Joker leaned back to avoid it before clenching his hand into a fist, slamming it down on the solider with such force a large, deep crater formed in the ground with the unfortunate soldier in the middle. That one move was enough to cause hesitation among Drake's men while striking shock into the Dealer group.

"D-Did he get stronger…?" Carla asked while clenching her hands into fist. In the event Joker wasn't truly on their side she was ready to try and fight to protect Cynthia and Wendy.

Drake grit his teeth at Joker's raw strength. He knew Joker wasn't human, but it still didn't make sense for something like this to have that much strength. He then glanced at his hesitating men before yelling again. "What do you think you're doing standing there!? GO take them out, NOW!" The dragons nodded apprehensively before lunging at Joker once again.

"Are we just going to stand here and do nothing…!?" Diamond asked.

"You'd get in the way at this point," Joker responded coldly while pointing his arm forward, shifting it into a cannon with multiple barrels. "Missile Barrage!" From each barrel, a powerful, heat seeking missile shot out towards each and every dragon coming his way; the angles the missiles traveled caught the soldiers and massive explosions occurred all over the place.

"Yaaaah…!" Cynthia brought her up to shield her eyes from the intense wind kicked up from all the explosions.

"This is crazy…!" Wendy shouted. As the dust settled, the soldiers were all down before the might of Joker, leaving only Drake left. "H-He took them all down…!"

"And he hasn't even moved…" Strong pointed out.

"I've had enough! Who do you think you are anyway!?" Drake lunged forward while rearing his arm back; he swung towards Joker with force once close, but the Dealer Ace blocked it with his forearm. A shockwave boomed from impact and Joker was forced a few inches back from his original position, but this didn't seem to deter the man in the slightest. Joker pushed his arm forward and sent Drake slightly into the air, only keeping afloat with his wings. "Agh! That's it!" Drake threw his head forward, unleashing a potent blast of raw magic towards Joker; the power of it looked like it was more than enough to take out all of them on the spot should it hit.

"Tch…" Joker had an unsatisfied expression while pulling both arms back, his signature magic beginning to form on both palms. "I'm going to put an end to this charade. Dread Lazer!" Both arms were thrown forward, the two spheres of magic turning into a widespread beam that cut across the island and looked like it took Drake with it. The others could only stare in amazement and horror at Joker's power.

When the attack settled, Drake was on the side of the laser, having just narrowly avoided it. He panted heavily with widened eyes and a cold sweat beading on his forehead. He stared at Joker, trying to find the words. "W-What the hell are you…!?" He grit teeth before regaining what he could of his composure. "I'm not finished with you yet! I'll come back, and you won't be able to stave off my infection forever…!" His last words were directed towards Cynthia as he flew off.

"What a pathetic creature…" Joker adjusted his wrist while taking a few steps forward, turning around to face the group.

"Right…so now that that's over with…" Tia pointed at Joker, and then Spade, Ace, and Heartless. "Anyone of you three want to explain what the HELL this is about!?"

"Ah…" Neither of them wanted to be the first to explain.

"And it better be a damn good one!" Tia was currently the one everyone was afraid of, excluding Joker.

"O-Okay…!" Spade took the first step. "S-So…Ace, Heartless, and I found some of Joker's old data within Ace's armor, likely from his last ditch effort back at the base months ago. We had an idea…to try and revive him, you see…with a sort of…different…personality?"

"Uh-huh." Tia's arms were crossed and she had that look that said she wasn't amused. To be fair, the others had the same look as well.

"It goes like this." Heartless began. "We were wondering if there would be a time where we would need power like Joker's again in case we couldn't handle the job. So over these last few months, Ace, Spade, and I have been secretly working to rebuilt Joker. Doing so from scratch was nearly impossible, so we had to work with what he already was."

Diamond groaned. "And you didn't tell us this because…!?"

"We were afraid of this happening." Ace nodded. "We weren't exactly preparing to bring him out so soon…he's still...unfinished, in a sense. He can't access his Dread Form and a few of his other features have been locked. But don't worry; we've erased King's data from him, meaning he will not act in any interest that King may want. We got rid of that first thing."

"So you're saying he's on our side…?" Carla asked.

"My mission is to assist Dealer," Joker stated blandly while staring at Diamond, Spade, and Strong. Months ago, they cowered in fear at his soul piercing gaze…but now they returned that strong gaze with lingering emotions of hatred. "I see you do not cower when I stare at you anymore. You've grown, surprisingly. Spending time with those Fairies has done something to you. Perhaps they've made you stronger…considering how pathetic you were before."

"Are you SURE he's not going to attack us physically? Because those words stung…" Strong's head hung over.

"If you hurt Cynthia, I'll…!" Wendy started but Joker silenced her by shaking his head.

"Lingering emotions of disgust and hatred still flow through this body due to suffering a rather humiliating defeat by your team, but even so I've no reason to attack." His eyes then went to Cynthia, beginning to scan her. "Intriguing…your body temperature is at least 120. This is death for humans…perhaps you're building a resistance to that dragonification infection? Or perhaps it's the infection that's the reason for you being able to stand."

"….." Cynthia remained silent, not uttering a single word while rubbing her scaled arm and even part of her scaled neck. "I'm fine. A little cold isn't going to keep me down."

"Treating it lightly doesn't make it go away." With that, Joker turned on his heel and began to walk off as though he were going to lead the group.

"Jackass…" Jack mumbled while folding his arms. "Where does he get off!?"

Tia reached over and grabbed both Ace and Heartless by their ears, dragging them off with that sinister aura around her. "We're going to have a serious chat about your actions over these last few months. Your full story will greatly influence your punishment, so you best not hold anything back."

.

.

"How much punishment can this guy take!?" Sting grunted while staring at Nasir. The Sky Dragon was covered in bruises and marks but he was still standing just fine.

"We keep hitting him and he keeps getting back up like nothing happens!" Selene was getting annoyed that their magic wasn't making much headway against Nasir. "This is getting really annoying…"

"We'll just keep hitting him until he finally gives in." Natsu stated. "We've been doing damage; even he can't shrug it off forever. There's four of us and one of him, he can't last forever!"

"Hai." Rogue nodded firmly, actually agreeing with an idea of Natsu's for once.

"This little game will be coming to an end." Nasir chuckled eerily, causing the dragon slayers to look at him curiously.

"What are you talking about…?" Sting inquired.

"You're right where I want you. You see…along this isle are a series of spots there the magic is more intense, and only we residents of the isle can activate the magic within these spots. This is called a Dragon Vein…" As Nasir spoke a green aura began to envelop his body; the wind began picking up drastically. The dragon slayers were stuck in their spoke with the wind moving so rapidly.

"H-Hey…I-I can't move…!" Selene grunted while putting an arm in front of her face to shield her eyes from the wind.

"This wind…!" Natsu grit his teeth as the intense raging winds snuffed out the flames around his body. "My flames…"

"Now!" Nasir inhaled all of the raging wings into his mouth, rearing his head back as the cyclone around his lips grew to a large vortex. "ROAR!" Throwing his head forward, the sky dragon unleashed a massive twister towards the four dragon slayers, leaving them no way to avoid it.

"Damn it…!" Sting shouted while for impact…that never came. "Huh…?" A solid wall of iron and rock protected the four dragon slayers from Nasir's intense wind.

"How!?" Nasir was just as confused as the others.

"It appears that we made it just in time…" Jura said with his arms crossed.

"Good, I would've hated to miss out on action like this…" Gildarts replied while staring at Nasir. "So, this is the dragon that our little Wendy beat? Can't imagine what makes him so tough now? Second wind, perhaps?"

"Gildarts…!?" Natsu's eyes widened with shock before a grin took over his face.

"Fairy Tail's ace….and Lamia Scale's strongest wizard…" Selene muttered. "Thank you for the assistance, but we dragon slayers can take this from here." Part of her pride as a dragon slayer was being hit by having two people, despite being stronger than her, fight a dragon instead.

"Selene-san…I think it's better if we let them handle it…" Sting suggested; he felt that same twinge of pride being hit but he knew it was for the best.

"I agree with Sting." Rogue uttered silently.

"Go find the others. We can handle this, yeah?" Gildarts grinned towards Natsu, not even taking the threat of Nasir seriously.

"Right…" Natsu nodded, leading the way to where Lucy's group went off to.

"Now that the kids are out of the way…" Gildarts cracked his knuckles; a white aura began flaring around his body as the most serious expression took over his features. Just the release of his magic pressure caused a small section of the island to quiver violently. "I don't have to worry about them getting caught in the cross fire and considering what I heard you did to other members of my family…it's about to get ugly."

"Agreed." Jura nodded while clapping his hands together.

"W-What's with these humans…?" Nasir muttered to himself. He found his own body shaking slightly from Gildarts and Jura's power. "A-am I shaking…? No…this isn't right…I'm not afraid of humans…!"

.

.

Gray and Xen slid away from each other, both of them covered in minor injuries. Their ice was ineffective against each other but they weren't going to back down for pride's sake; though it appeared that Xen had the edge over Gray. "What's with this guy…!?" Gray grunted while slamming his fist into his palm, a black tattoo beginning to spread along his dominate arm; he was activating his Devil Slaying Magic.

"Oh ho! It appears as though you've finally gotten serious?" Xen grinned at the Devil Slaying tattoo engraved on Gray's arm. "Devil Slaying Magic? I've been waiting to see this…but I'm certain it'll have no effect on me."

"We'll see about that." Gray replied. "Ice Make: Devil's Axe!" Within Gray's grasp, an axe born of devil slaying and ice make formed. Once the axe was complete Gray leapt into the air while coming down with the axe; Xen brought up his shield to block the attack, but it was stronger than he expected. The ground under his feet caved in slightly and his shield cracked before it finally shattered, sending him staggering back and leaving him open. "There it is!" Gray exclaimed to himself while purple tinted ice formed on his fist. "Ice Devil's Frozen Impact!" He swung his fist at Xen's sternum, landing a direct hit that sent the Commandant tumbling along the ground.

Xen laid on the ground for a second before picking himself back up, letting out a heavy exhale. "…As I thought. I hardly felt it." He stood up straight, dusting himself off after such an attack. "Ice doesn't bother me, just as it hardly works on you. However…my ice has the edge when it comes to yours."

"Oh yeah?" Gray slid into another ice make stance. Just because his ice wasn't working didn't mean he wasn't going to keep trying until he made it work. He and Natsu had that same brick headed mentality that usually worked for them somehow.

Xen chuckled before placing two fingers on his forehead, a dark blue magic seal appearing just under Gray's feet. "Ice God's Spires." From the magic seal, multiple spires of black ice shot out in attempt to impale Gray. Luckily Gray had enough time to leap away, but not before being grazed deeply by some of the spires, cutting deep into his side and a little into his leg.

"Ugh!?" Gray slid along the ground before coming to a halt on a knee, gasping for air. "Ice God Slaying? You're just like that other guy…"

"Slaying?" Xen quirked a brow before realizing the misunderstanding. "Oh, no no no no no….you seem to have the wrong idea. I'm no Ice God Slayer…I am the Ice God." Just hearing those words caused Gray's eyes to widen in shock. He wasn't dealing with any ordinary mage, but a supposed God? Considering his ineffective his magic had been up until this point…

"Ice God…?" Chelia overhead Xen from the other side of the electrical blockade. "I have to get in there…! I can help Gray!"

"Stay back!" Gray demanded, not like Chelia had a choice anyway with the electric prison blocking the way. "Ice Make…Artillery Barrage!" Another ice make spell was used, this time creating multiple cannons pointed in Xen's direction.

"You don't seem to learn, do you…?" Xen sighed, only for his expression to change as Gray was firing off pieces of his own ice back at him! It didn't matter what type of mage anyone was, they couldn't eat their own magic! "You little…!" A cloud of smoke appeared with each impact made…when the smoke steadily cleared; Xen was standing in a defensive position with his shield on his arm once again, cutting down any and all damage drastically. "Ah, so close."

"What the…!?" Gray clenched his hand into a fist. "I smashed that thing!"

"This shield is made of specially modified ice that is meant to return every few minutes. You cannot break this shield forever, Fullbuster." Xen explained.

.

Meanwhile, Laura was giving Lucy and Yukino a run for their money. The two celestial mages were starting to run low on stamina while it looked like Laura still had plenty to spare. "Aw, what's the matter? Are we getting tired?" Laura giggled before taking another step forward, several lightning imbued knives at the ready.

"S-She's way too strong…" Yukino panted. "W-We need to use Urano Metria again, Lucy-sama…!"

"Oh, is that the thing you used to get rid of that good for nothing?" Laura inquired while throwing a knife at Yukino's side. Yukino narrowly managed to avoid it but realized that she was separated from Lucy as a result.

"Lucy-sama…!" Yukino made an attempt to move, but Laura was already in front of her. A swift slash was delivered to Yukino's midsection, the heat from the electricity cauterizing any wounds but the imprints were still there and Yukino just collapsed with her eyes rolling into the back of her head.

"Yukino!" Lucy was going to check on Yukino, though Laura's incredible speed stopped her before she could even take two steps. As a defensive precaution, Lucy just swing at Laura who leaned away to avoid it; Lucy followed up with a swift roundhouse, though that was blocked with Laura's forearm.

"A good effort." Laura chirped before slamming her elbow into Lucy's gut, winding the celestial wizard. She then kicked Lucy down to the ground on her back, standing over her shortly after with a malicious grin. "Now then…" Laura placed one foot on Lucy's injured arm while one hand went to grab and restrain her. Laura's free hand then dug into her coat pocket, where she pulled out the Whistle. "Xen, I do hope you're paying attention, because it's going to get interesting~" She then blew on the whistle. The noise was unknown but it was one only Lucy could hear and she began squirming violently in attempt to cover her ears.

"AH! S-STOP THAT! I-IT HURTS…!" Lucy screamed.

"W-What's going on over there!?" Mii stared though the small gaps in the electrical field.

"LUCY!" Cana shouted, which caught Gray's attention.

"What the…!?" Gray turned to look, as did Xen, though he made sure to keep Gray from interfering.

"Hahahahahaha!" Xen's laugh was rather loud and the look on his face showed nothing but pure anxiousness. "Now it's time to see if it's true! Do you have what we want, Lucy Heartfilia?! Are you the product of that traitor!?" Amidst Lucy's screaming and helpless squirming, those brown eyes of hers began to flash a shade of crimson…

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Next Time: Crystal Tower.


	47. Chapter 46: Crystal Tower

"Stop it! Let her go!" Happy shouted from the other side of the electrical field. He was having a repeat of what happened between Lucy and Laura last time they were on the isle.

"What's he doing to her!?" Cana looked around for an answer but no one had an answer. "Stop it! Let her go NOW!"

"I don't think she would even if she wanted to…" Mii mumbled.

"Y-Yukino! Wake up!" Lector shouted to the unconscious Yukino, praying she would wake up soon to help Lucy.

"Yukinooo…." Frosch's little eyes were filling with tears as Yukino laid unresponsive to their cries.

"We gotta do something!" Chelia frantically looked for a way around Laura's electric barrier. Without thinking she did the only she that came to mind and threw some black wind at the gate. It clashed before exploding, though there was no damage done to the gate. "N-No damage!?"

"None at all? That's a sturdy barrier…" Draco grinned, seeing it as a fast challenge to knock it down to save Lucy.

"We'll be here all day wasting magic if we don't hurry…!" Luke warned everyone.

"I can do this." Raven nodded to the others while pulling his bow out. He pulled the bowstring back as a small, but potent arrow of wind. He closed one eye and took aim between the gaps of the barrier. "Come on…" And he released the arrow, praying he could hit his mark in any way.

.

"Come on!" Laura took a breath while tightening her grip on Lucy's arm just to ensure she couldn't squirm away. "Stop resisting and come out already!" At this point it was hard to tell if they were even talking to Lucy or not. Everything they said went over her head. Was it because she wasn't meant to understand, or that she couldn't? It didn't matter either way, Laura just kept Lucy pinned down and blew the whistle a second time, causing another round of screaming from the celestial wizard.

"S-Stop it…please…" Lucy pleaded, the noise of the whistle beginning to tear at her very core for a reason she couldn't understand. All she knew is that something inside her was reacting very violently to the sound coming from the whistle and as a result a black and red aura started to emanate from her being.

"Yes, I can see it! Bring it forth, Laura!" Xen's grin turned to an insane one. His anxious finally reached its peak.

"Ah…!" Laura's eyes gleamed with delight, ushering Xen to hurt over. "Her eyes are red, just like last time and she's got that aura too! You know what that means, right!?" Before she could say anything else, Raven's arrow clipped her shoulder. "Ouch?!" That wound was just enough for her to relinquish her hold on Lucy and stagger backwards, almost dropping the whistle as a result. "What little twerp…!?"

There was an unfamiliar pulse within Lucy's body. She let out a cry as the black and red aura expelled from her body in a brief flash. In that instant any and all magic in the surroundings currently in play was nullified. Laura's electric barrier went down in an instant.

"Ouch!" Mii suddenly yelped while holding her bandaged arm. "T-That was weird…"

"What happened!?" Laura questioned, but felt a spear of ice crash into her back, causing her to lurch forward. "H-Hey…!?"

"Get away from her!" Cana demanded while placing two cards down on the ground: a flame and tornado card. "Dashing Fire!" The two cards activated, unleashing a sprinting flame that slammed into Laura's front, sending her staggering backwards while causing several burns on her fair skin.

"What on Earth…!?" Xen covered his eyes from the pulse of magic. "T-The barrier's down!?"

Chelia back flipped onto the base of a tree, kicking forward while twisting her body so her leg was extended, black wind swirling violently around her foot in an arrow-like shape. "Primary Sky Arrow!" Chelia aimed her foot at Xen's face, but his shielded arm blocked the hit unintentionally, but he still felt the power behind it. In fact, Chelia's kick was so strong it broke Xen's regenerative shield in one blow, leaving him completely defenseless.

"W-What is this…? God Slaying…!?" Xen's eyes widened as he pushed Chelia away with his bare arm, but in that instant Luke and Draco came rushing in.

Luke's right arm was covered in orange flames; he reared his arm back before throwing it forward. "Fire Dragon's Iron Fist!"

Draco's left arm was lit in pure ivory flames. With a grin he threw his arm forward, both he and Luke aiming for the Commandant's chest. "Ardent Spark!"

Contact! The fiery fists of both mages slammed against the chest of the Commandant, the force of the opposing element and their own strength more than enough to send Xen staggering backwards. "Guh!"

"Now's my chance!" Gray took it on himself to finish this; he formed a bow and arrow of purple tinted ice in his hands. He took aim at Xen while pulling the bowstring back. "Ice Devil Zeroth's Destruction Bow!" He unleashed the string, sending the bow soaring towards Xen.

"…!" Xen had no time to recover from the dual Eclipse strike and as a result he was left an open target for Gray's assault. An explosion of ice occurred on the spot.

"Got him!" Gray grinned as the bow of ice disappeared….that grin vanished as the ice started to funnel into a one location: Xen's mouth. "WHAT?!"

"Didn't you hear me before, Fullbuster?" Xen shook his head while licking his lips. "Ice is nothing but a delicious snack to me. I honestly hope you weren't thinking a lucky shot would do me in. If so…you're dumber than you look."

"No way…" Was all Luke could say on the matter. "Is he really a god then!?"

Chelia clenched her hand into a fist, black wind raging around her small hand. "If he is, then it should be up to me to finish him off!"

"That could post a problem…" Xen admitted to himself before glancing at Laura, who was now a few feet away. "Laura, what are you doing!?"

"T-That girl's a monster…!" Laura pointed frantically towards the downed Lucy with a sweat drop on her forehead. Laura's shouting caused everyone to turn to Lucy, whose body was oozing an unfamiliar, yet eerie red aura.

"What the hell did you do to her!?" Cana yelled at Laura.

Lucy slowly brought herself up, hunched over while panting heavily. She clutched a hand on her chest while keeping one eye shut. There was a small panicked expression on her own face that showed even she had no idea what was going on within her; before anyone knew it, the area began to darken considerably while black stars began to twinkle in the darkness. "D-Die…and rejoin the stars…"

"Lucy wait!" Gray began to rush over to Lucy, but he wasn't going to make it in time. Luckily he didn't have to, for Mii knocked Lucy out herself with a swift chop to the back of her neck. The area returned to normal immediately and Lucy laid on the ground unconscious, the aura fading away slowly. "Agh…"

"Geez…that was a close one…" Mii let out a heavy sigh while dusting off her hands. "But on a more important note WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT!?"

"That's what happened last time…" Happy mumbled. "I don't know what's going on with her…she's been acting strange ever since she came back from that solo job…and I don't think she knows either."

"Those two Commandants have left…" Mii pointed in the direction Xen and Laura were standing; the space was empty now. "They must've fled when it got all dark…"

"Yukino's hurt…!" Frosch pointed to the unconscious Yukino with tears forming on the corner of his eyes. "Please help!"

"I'm on it!" Chelia nodded and bent down, placing her hands over Yukino to heal her. Her mind couldn't help but flash back to Xen. If he was truly a god then she was one of the only people on the Isle who were capable of dealing with him…but she felt it when she struck him. He was holding back and even still his power was incredible. Seemed like Gray had the sort of same idea.

"Oi!" Natsu arrived on the scene with Selene, Sting, and Rogue. "W-Whoa…what the heck happened here!?"

"Looks like everyone was hit by a train…" Rogue mumbled.

.

.

"How unfortunate…" Brax sighed as the Strauss and Roulette siblings all fell before him in an unconscious state. The red haired commandant held one of his Chakrams over his shoulders while staring at his victims. "And here I was hoping that I could get a little blood pumping for a change…I guess not." The other Chakram began spinning rapidly as flames coated it. "I suppose I'll just clean up the garbage here then…" The sound of a faint cough caused him to halt his action. "Hm…?"

"N-No…" Lisanna shakily pushed herself up, grimacing in pain. One eye was kept shut and she held her arm while staring at Xen. "T-This isn't…over! I…I have to see Mira-nee again…a-and I won't…let anyone stop me…" She almost fell over again but kept her balance. "I-I don't care…who you are…or how strong you are…you won't keep my away from my sister!"

"Oh? I didn't think anyone still conscious after that last one…." Brax was impressed by Lisanna's tenacity. "Well congrats. You wanna meet your sister? Well, from what I hear she's dead, ain't she? So if you wanna meet, I'll be happy to help you cross the bridge!" Brax threw the prepared flaming chakram at Lisanna without a moment's notice. Lisanna was too exhausted to try and evade so she ended up taking the hit head on, caught in the roaring explosion of flames while letting out a shriek of pain.

With the flames dying down, Lisanna was on her knees, covered in burn marks while gasping for air. She glanced over at the unconscious Elfman before standing up again. "I've always been the weakest one of my siblings…they're always protecting me…a-and now it's my turn…" Lisanna entered her half-bird takeover and took to the skies, narrowly evading the chakrams thrown into air to strike her down. Once she was in prime position she tucked her wings in and dove down towards Brax, a fiery blue aura appearing around her body.

Brax realized the threat of the incoming Lisanna and his eyes widened just briefly. "Oh dear…" And when impact was made, a giant smoke cloud formed in the area after the small tremor.

Lisanna was on her hands and knees, panting heavily after such a reckless and heavy use of magic. She stared into the clearing cloud of smoke, only for her eyes to widen in pure fear. "….."

Brax stepped from the smoke, covered in bruises and scratches from Lisanna's attack. "I have to admit…that brave attempt actually hurt a little bit…"

.

"…." Blues remained silent while staring the orange sky. There was nothing there and that was the thing that worried him the most.

"Blues-san, are you okay? You've been staring at the sky for a long time now…" Juvia worriedly asked.

"I'm fine. But I'm worried about Ena. The sky has been really quiet since the rain stopped…" Blues replied. "I know if she beat that Kurthnaga she would've returned to us as soon as possible…"

"I'm sure Ena just needed to rest." Erza replied, not wanting to believe anything bad happened to Ena. "Her brother has a presence that demands respect…they're both powerful."

"Even so…" Blues trailed off, just leaving the thoughts as they were for now. "Anyway, let's continue. I think we're getting closer…I can sense a fresh flow of water under us, I can only assume that we're going the right way.

"I hope everyone's okay…" Aira mumbled to herself, praying for the safety of Ena, Takeru, Mirajane, and Leon.

.

.

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Edna casually appeared before Reve's group, tapping her foot with a bit of impatience while staring at the humans across from her. "You loser humans are something else you know? It's surprising to see you lame-os haven't given up and quit yet."

"Is that a dragon?" Cygnus asked Heather. "Or is it just a really annoying lost little girl? Or is it both?"

"That's…a dragon, believe it or not…" Heather said while preparing herself. "However…I can discern what type of dragon she is. There's a particular scent around her…"

"Oh, did you catch a whiff of my fragrance?" Edna questioned with a coy smile. "It's pretty sweet smelling, isn't it? A much better scent than the musk you people have on you. Seriously, go take a shower or something."

"Wow. She's really annoying." Jaxon stated while crossing his arms.

"It was raining!" Milliana shouted. "I got all wet and I hate water…"

"Seriously, that rain was such a drag…" Melody complained while still squeezing some water from her hair.

"I believe this young, beautiful dragon is withholding some information from us..." Hibiki said while adjusting his tie. "Perhaps I should…"

"Don't waste your breath, Hibiki!" Cygnus said while holding back a snicker. "Young? She may be small…but I bet she's like 400 years old or something! HAAHA!"

Edna's brow twitched at Cygnus mocking her age; while it was true she appeared younger than she actually was, she still took it as an insult. As a result she stepped on the ground, causing a crystal to rise and strike Cygnus. "What was that?"

"Whoa…!" Cygnus took a step back to avoid the crystal that almost impaled him.

"There it is." Reve immediately used his Quick Draw technique to pull out a pistol and take a shot at Edna within the blink of an eye; however the purple haired dragon merely waved her hand in the same second, creating a small crystal that deflected the bullet elsewhere. "Tch."

"Crystal Dragon?" Lyon questioned while sliding into the ice make position. "That's a new one…"

"There are a many kinds of dragons on this isle…" Edna responded to Lyon's curiosity before stepping ground once again, creating several crystal spikes that popped from the ground in attempt to skewer the mages, though they all jumped away in the nick of time. "Oh phooey…you're all actually sharp."

"If I didn't know any better I'd say she wants to see our blood spill…" Melody tsked while sliding into the maker stance. "I'm sorry to break it to you, but I like my blood inside my body and nowhere else."

"Is that so? Well you little humans are going to learn that you don't get what you want when you're in someone else's home…" Edna put her foot down, a false sweet smile crossing her lips.

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Next time: Blackheart


	48. Chapter 47: Blackheart

"You think she's mad I called her old?" Cygnus questioned the others while pointing at the clearly upset Edna. "I mean to be fair…"

"Cyg, I'm not picking sides here." Jaxon began while crossing his arms. "But I don't think you of all people should be calling people old, old man."

"I'm 22 IT'S LIKE YOU PEOPLE DON'T EVEN AGE I SWEAR!" Cygnus shot back with an annoyed tick mark on his forehead. Looks like Edna wasn't the only sensitive one when it came to age.

"Is now really the time to be taking shot at each other's age?" Heather questioned while narrowly avoiding a crystal lance that Enda hurled at her. "I'd rather you two focus on the dragon trying to impale us with crystals."

"In all honesty with all things considered, I think you might be the oldest one here…" Enda pointed at Heather with a knowing smile on her lips.

"What's that supposed to mean!? Are you calling me old? I'll have your head." Heather glared towards the crystal dragon while pointing her hand forward, a magenta magic seal forming in the palm of her hand. "Poison Dragon's Twin Fangs!" From the seal, two dragon heads composed of deadly toxins shot out, both of them aimed directly for Edna with the intent of sinking their fangs into the dragon.

"Lame." Edna responded while holding up two arms, allowing crystal scales to form along the limbs. The poison dragons bit down on Edna's crystal covered arms and immediately dispersed, leaving the poison dragon slayer agitated. "Crystals have reflective properties, didn't you know that? Little tricks like poison won't work on me."

"Then try this on for size!" Lyon slammed his fist into his palm, a chilling wind blowing throughout the area as he prepared his ice make spell. "Ice Make: Ape!" With that exclamation, an ape composed of ice appeared before him. The ape then charged towards Enda, raising both hands into the air before bringing them both down on the crystal dragon. A shockwave and tremor occurred from impact…only to reveal that Edna blocked the ape by holding her palm flat against its fist. "What…!?"

"Ice? How dull. It doesn't have that shine, you know?" Crystal coated fist then shattered the ice ape in a single blow. Edna then dusted her hands off before a pair of wings spread from her back and she took to the air with a grin on her lips. "You humans are so lame, you can't even come up here, can you?!"

Milliana puffed her cheeks out in irritation at Edna's mockery of them. "I-Is she just toying with us!?"

"I've reason to believe so…" Hibiki said while staring into the sky at the airborne Edna.

"This is really annoying…" Melody decided it was her time to strike. Placing one fist into her palm, arms thrown forward as sliver magic seal appeared before her. "Silver Magic: Arrows!" From the seal, a plethora of large silver arrows shot out in attempt to shoot Edna now.

"Crystal Slash." Edna responded to Melody's assault by pulling a wing back and throwing it forward, unleashing a rain of crystal shards that clashed with the incoming arrows while others rained down towards the group. They did their best to avoid the rain, though not everyone came out unscathed and had some cuts on their skin as a result. "See? Humans have boring abilities, nothing that even comes close to a dragon."

"You almost beat Reve in an asshole contest…" Cygnus stated while dusting off his shoulders.

"Don't go giving her too much credit now…" Reve chuckled slightly.

"Yeah, I'd say she's at least a quarter of the way there." Jaxon commented before looking at Cygnus. "You wanna stop goofing off already?"

"Had the let the kid have her fun. You know how it is, respect your elders." Cygnus grinned before placing one hand out, slowly bringing it down. "You've been doing a lot of talking, but humans are a little more down to earth than dragons are, care to see?" With this motion, the gravity around Edna intensified without warning.

"W-What the..!?" Edna was ill prepared for the shift in gravity and found herself plummeting to the ground, only to halt herself from a powerful collision with the rocky dirt, but that was the least of her worries.

"THUNDER PUNCH!" Jaxon yelled at the top of his lungs as lightning coated his arm; in one swift motion he slammed his fist into Edna's nose, the crackle of lightning and boom of thunder echoing across the island from impact.

Edna was sent tumbling backwards from the force of Jaxon's punch, only to place her hands on the ground to come to an eventual stop. But by then, Reve was already pointing a sawn-off shotgun in her direction with that patented grin all over his face. "Bang." With the click of the trigger, several beams shot out of the shotgun, only to split into even more beams with equal power. Every beam collided with Edna to create a large cloud of smoke in the area.

"Whoa, did that work!?" Melody questioned with widened eyes at the White Eclipse display.

"If it didn't we're just getting started!" Cygnus yelled.

"Well well…" Edna emerged from the smoke with her clothing torn and markings along her fair skin. "I guess if a bunch of humans get together they can provide a little entertainment. I was hoping you weren't done though, I haven't gotten any exercise in a while and I was hoping to stretch my legs a bit…"

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"Razor Wind!" Nasir flapped his wings, creating razor sharp wind with the intent of tearing through Gildarts and Jura before they could cause too much trouble.

"Iron Rock Wall!" Jura shouted while lifting up his index and middle finger, creating a wall of iron and solid rock to effectively block Nasir's attack. The wall didn't fall even after Nasir's powerful winds, leaving the Sky Dragon flustered and shocked.

"What!? Why hasn't my wind been working against you!?" Nasir shouted in anger towards the Wizard Saint.

"No matter how loudly the wind bellows…the mountain will never bow to it." Jura responded before pushing his open palm forward, a yellow glow appearing around the iron rock wall. The wall shattered into large debris that flew towards Nasir, who used his wings to aerodynamically evade the pieces of rubble sent in his direction.

"I've got you!" Gildarts exclaimed while rearing his arm back from above, bringing it down towards Nasir's head with nothing but his raw physical strength. Nasir blocked the hit by crossing his arms, though impact caused a minor explosion and the ground beneath him shattered and cratered.

"No, I believe it's you that's been caught!" Nasir swung his tail at Gildarts…only for it to be snagged within the ace's grip.

"Heh." Gildarts merely grinned at Nasir who had yet another look of shock on his face.

"Iron Rock Fist!" Jura exclaimed from behind the two of them. From his location, several large fists composed of iron and rock flew towards Gildarts and Nasir. Gildarts released Nasir at the last second and allowed the sky dragon to take the onslaught of punches that dove him into the very earth.

.

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Another fiery explosion occurred; Lisanna let out a cry of pain while tumbling across the charred landscape. Her body was covered in second degree burns and she was hardly able to stay conscious. Brax was way out of her league and trying against such a force was suicide in itself. "Haaa….ha…." Lisanna was on her hands and knees, and even then she was hardly capable of keeping her balance.

"Come on; call it quits already, will ya?" Brax sighed while dusting off his coat. "The only thing you're doing is embarrassing yourself and getting my coat dirty. And I'm just trying to have a little fun here. But I'm done playing around, I should really get moving…" Brax reeled his arm back before hurling a flame coated chakram at the exhausted Lisanna. Before it could reach, a beam intercepted the weapon and caused an explosion to which the weapon was returned to the sender. "Eh?"

Lisanna stared up before her with her blurry vision, spotting a female with long white hair standing in front of her. A smile crossed her lips as she mumbled "Mira-nee…" before she hit her limit and passed out.

The figure Lisanna was actually looking at was none other than Angel, who merely rolled her eyes as the unconscious Strauss mistook her for the still missing eldest sibling. "I'm not YOUR sister…but you remind me a lot of mine."

"Oh?" Brax quirked a brow while holding one chakram over his shoulder. "A new challenger?" Shortly after speaking, Ultear, Cobra, Racer, Hoteye, and Midnight arrived on the scene. "Oh, what's this? Another group? You guys sure have this place stacked."

"Who's this guy? He's rather obnoxious…" Hoteye gestured towards Brax who merely shrugged, taking no offense at all.

"He's not our top priority right now," Ultear responded. "But if he's in the way, we'll have to make quick work of him."

"Ah, I'm tired of fighting for now." Brax said in a nonchalant attitude that took Crime Soricere off guard. "I only really appeared to deliver a message…and I assume you aren't with the group that just appeared a few hours ago. But if you're looking for your Princess, she's with a comrade of mine. Though I suggest you hurry, because as time passes she's falling deeper into his spell." It was then the Commandant gave an ominous chuckle before disappearing in a veil of flames.

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"So that's what's going on over there…" Raven rubbed the back of his head as Sting explained Jura and Gildarts' appearance on the island. "Those two can surely beat that annoying Sky Dragon!"

"There's something that's been bothering me since we've been here…" Lucy was awake now and rubbed the back of her head. "I know dragons can transform at will…if they really wanted to crush us with little resistance why haven't they fully transformed already?"

"Rise and shine, you two." Mii was leaning against a tree with her arms crossed, speaking to both Lucy and Yukino. It had been a little bit of time since the encounter with the Commandants. "And to answer your question, there is a reason for that. While Dhegensea does have control over the dragons thanks to Drake…if those dragons actually fully transform now, it would not be good. They'd lose control of themselves and Dhegensea wouldn't be able to regain control for a while. So basically…"

"We would lose all sense of self and ravage this island before we have a chance to actually get on the mainland; and when that time comes we'll be horribly exhausted and unable to put up much of a fight once we arrive. That transformation is a double-edged sword, you see." Eizen spoke from top a large incline. "Is that what you were going to say, Chosen?"

"Eizen…" Mii's lips curled to a slight frown at the sight of the Silver dragon while the others just got on guard. "Is there something I can help you with? It's a little touching you came all the way down here just for lil old me."

"Man, can't we catch a break…!?" Gray grit his teeth while preparing to use an Ice Make spell in the event Eizen attacked.

"Relax humans. I'm not here for you. I'm here…" Eizen pointed to Mii. "For the Chosen. Dhegensea has requested your presence and sent me out to find you; and color me surprised to see you hanging around the same humans you betrayed twice within a matter of 24 hours. I thought you were investigating those white coated humans?"

"I don't need you prying into my business." Mii placed her hands on her hips. "I did in fact run into some of those people and got some information on them for your information. But after being around these people….I don't really fancy heading back to that old lizard…"

"Mii?" Lucy looked at Mii with a quirked brow. "Are you…"

"Just follow my lead." Mii told the others with a slight smile.

"You're asking us to trust you?" Cana had a stale expression while taking a quick sip of her flask. She, along with everyone else, already had their doubts about this.

"Hey, I've been with you guys for a few hours and I haven't told a single lie. That's a new accomplishment for me!" Mii replied with a grin.

"I'm not sure whether to be impressed or worried…" Lucy said with a comedic sweat drop.

"And I hope you haven't forgotten the chain of command!" Mii suddenly pulled out Dragon Hadlar, holding one end of the double sided shotgun at Eizen while the other side faced the group. "As the Chosen, my word goes above yours, isn't that right?"

"But in the end it is the King who makes the final ruling…" Eizen remained calm in the face of Mii's defiance. "You know you can't toil with the word of Fate, Chosen. And if you were to stay with these people…who knows what could happen to…"

"S-stop!" Mii suddenly shouted. "Don't you dare."

"What's going on? I don't think we should stand here idly…" Selene warned the others.

"Simply come back and all will be well. Our King has another assignment for you, and you'd do well to return to accept it." Eizen stared at Mii who seemed to be having some sort of struggle.

"Ah…" Mii let out a heavy sigh before closing her eyes. "Whatever happens, you guys shouldn't move a muscle." She clicked the trigger…and from the back end of Dragon Hardly, a massive bullet shot out and immediately caused an explosion that consumed the group, incinerating everything in the area. A large cloud of smoke formed along with the smell of burning grass filling the air. Afterwards she hopped on the incline next to Nasir with a slight smile on her face. "Now can we go?"

"Of course…" Eizen chuckled before walking off with Mii.

As the smoke cleared, the group was revealed to be unharmed, just surrounded by charred landscape. "What the hell was that?!" Cana shouted angrily. "What is that girl thinking!? She nearly killed us!"

"If she wanted us dead…we would be." Rogue's tone was rather low. "I'm not sure what she was thinking, but ending our lives was the last thing in her mind. She burnt the grass around so Eizen wouldn't be able to tell we were alive by our scent…and with the large radius of the blast any scent tracking is rendered useless…" He then brought his hand up to pinch his nose. "The smell is rather distracting…"

"What's her problem…? She keeps changing sides…!" Lector groaned. "Even after Yukino helped her with her injury…"

"I think there's something more at work here…" Yukino replied. "But I think we should focus on moving forward…"

"Next time I see that girl I swear…" Luke grumbled.

.

.

"Sir, you've a visitor!" A dragon soldier entered the throne room and bowed to Dhegensea.

"Another human ambassador I take it?" Dhegensea sighed. "Send them away."

"Say the King doesn't have time for such nonsense." Venoma commented from her seat while waving a dismissive hand.

"A-Are you sure…?" The soldier questioned which immediately got a glare from Dhegensea. "I-I mean…y-you should know…t-the guards at the front said the same thing…a-and some pulse came from the…person, and they just dropped…dead."

"Dead?" Dhegensea's eyes widened before finally deciding to change his mind. "Let them in, NOW."

"Y-Yes SIR!" The soldier nodded and hurried out the doors.

Moments later the doors reopened and a lone figure walked into the throne room. "It's been a long time, Black Dragon King. I've heard you've finally sprang into action with your ideals."

"Indeed…" Dhegensea nodded while standing up from his throne, walking towards the unexpected visitor. "Though I never expected you to arrive at my doorstep…Black Wizard. Or should I say…Zeref?"

Zeref gave a tiny smile to Dhegensea while clutching one particular book in his grasp. "We've much to discuss, Dhegensea….and oh so little time to do so."

.

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Next Time: Unexpected Visitor.


	49. Chapter 48: Unexpected Visitor

"Zeref…" Dhegensea returned to his throne, staring at the Black Wizard with a quirked brow. Meanwhile Venoma was sitting with her eyes wide, not expecting Zeref himself to appear before them. "What business do you have on MY island? I don't recall allowing you permission to even step foot on here."

"Ah, that's the crux of the matter, isn't it?" Zeref mused while keeping his eyes on the Black Dragon King. "I don't recall allowing you to takeover humanity in such a fashion. We've our own presence over the domain. I've told you before that the one to destroy humanity will be me. I won't allow you to stand in the way of that. The world has rejected me, therefore it shall be I that destroys it, do you understand?"

"He who strikes first, strikes best." Dhegensea responded. "I care not for your wishes that those blind demon followers of yours wish to help you reach. I've my own agenda, but this island won't exist in a few more hours. So you may do what you wish to the other humans on this isle." His eyes then glanced to the book Zeref was holding in his grip. "In case you're not aware, he is on this island."

"I know." Zeref replied. "Though I'm curious if his power will awaken when the day is over."

"Oi, who're you calling a blind follower?" That voice belonged to one particular demon; Daityas appeared in a veil of flames next to Zeref, smoking a cigar. He blew out a puff of smoke before staring at Dhegensea. "This is the Dragon King you were talking about? He doesn't look like much to me."

"Indeed…" Mard Geer was the next to appear on Zeref's left. "What's stopping you from using your magic to end this poor dragon's life, Lord Zeref? Or perhaps you needn't waste the effort…?"

Zeref shook his head at Mard's question. "It's simple. My magic has no effect on him for as long as he remains disconnected with the Scared Gem, for that is his source of life. But it matters not, since the island and the king that rules it will cease to exist by the day's end."

"That's quite a bold statement, Black Wizard." Dhegensea tilted his head at Zeref's assumption. "You underestimate the hand of Fate. Those humans are working tireless in vain to try and stop the fate that's already been written out…not even you can fight against it."

"I don't particularly care for whatever story your piece of paper has drawn out for you." Daityas said while dropping his cigar onto the floor, stomping it out in the middle of Dhegensea's throne room. The disrespect of the action was so high Dhegensea found himself snarling for a few seconds while Venoma stared in disbelief. "Oh? For someone who doesn't care what happens to this island later, you sure care about things now? Interesting, that worry-free attitude can only go so far?" The spawn of satan dusted his hands off before turning his back on the king. "What is it you would have us do, Lord Zeref?"

"Send out a demon or two, preferably one from the depths of Hell, if you will." Zeref turned his back and began walking off with Marde. "Let them ravage the island, since the King doesn't seem to mind what happens."

"Of course." With that, Daityas snapped his fingers, summoning a fire demon from hell's depths. The heat radiating from the monstrosity was enough to cause Venoma to sweat and she was sitting the furthest away from the demons. Once summoned, both Daityas and the demon vanished in a veil of flames.

"Accursed Black Wizard…" Dhegensea clenched his hand into a fist. "Nothing will stand in my way as rightful place over the ruler of humans…Fate has decreed it and so it shall be. Not even you will stop me."

.

.

Back in Fiore, Mavis had something special set up in case things got out of hand later. Perched atop a tall mountain was the Jupiter Cannon Phantom Lord used against Fairy Tail all those years ago. Manning this powerful cannon was none other than Bisca Connell; Alzack was keeping an eye over Azuka and Makarov was around to survey the situation from the island. Even from miles away, signs of fighting were visible. "They're beginning to run low on time…" Mavis mumbled while looking at the sky. The sun was beginning to set on the horizon and the sky was starting to look pretty dark.

"Gildarts is on the scene now, perhaps things will speed up a little bit?" Alzack suggested, though neither Makarov nor Mavis budged an inch.

"Papa…" Asuka stared at Alzack with her head tilted curiously to the side. "They're gonna come home, right?"

"Of course they are!" Alzack replied without hesitation. "They're just going to be late…probably past your bed time, but we'll make an exception just this once, okay?"

"Yay!" The child cheered before hugging her father.

The sight made Bisca smile slightly before turning her attention back at the isle with the cannon at the ready. "Even so…we still have to be ready. First, Master, don't worry. When I get the shot I need, I'll take it."

"We're not worried, Bisca," Makarov responded with a slight nod. "We've full faith in you to hit your targets. I just pray you can get one before it's too late…"

.

.

"We need some sort of plan…" Laura said while crossing her arms. "That was way too close last time…I can't believe she almost unleashed that power on everyone in the area…if that chick didn't knock her out…"

"Some miscalculations were made." Xen said while brushing off his shield. "What's inside has already begun bonding with the subject's body…though most of the power lies dormant. Imagine waking up suddenly from a slumber only to fall asleep once again; that is what that was. But even so…we must do something about this while this isle still stands. We've not much time before this island is doomed for oblivion.

"You're the tactician for this mission." Laura shrugged. "So tell me what brilliant plan you've in mind, lest we return empty handed minus our original mission. We're already down Wes and Lex, so this better be good."

At Laura's words, a sinister smirk crawled onto Xen's lips. "Oh, you needn't worry about a plan. I've already come up with something that'll take care of all of our problems in one fell swoop…"

.

.

"Give up yet!?" Cygnus questioned Enda as he pounded her crystal shield with gravity infused punches. The shield wasn't letting up even the slightest but Edna actually had to show some seriousness within the battle. "I can do this all day!"

"I don't think you HAVE all day, nimrod." Edna replied with a sly grin. "And neither do I!"

"Too bad you're stuck with us!" Melody clasped her hands together before pulling them apart, creating a gigantic mallet composed of silver within her grasp; the silver haired female held the hilt of the hammer with both hands and swung it powerfully at Edna's crystal shield…or rather, the dragon who hid behind the shield. Melody was well aware her silver wasn't going to budge Edna's crystals, but the dragon herself? A totally different story.

"Agh!" Edna grunted as the silver hammer slammed into her small being. The purple haired female dug her heels into the ground to prevent from being thrown off her feet, but she was sent skidding quite a few yards away as a result. Before she could do anything else, Milliana wrapped her Nekosoku Tube around the wrist of the dragon, immediately catching some resistance as a result. "Annoying pest!"

"Nyah, we've got you now!" Milliana said while holding her ground to prevent Edna from going anywhere.

"You're one to talk!" Lyon closed the spaced between them while ice formed on his fist taking the shape of a lion. "Ice Make: Lion!" He thrusted his fist at Edna's chest…and to his surprise the ice shattered on contact. "Ah…!?"

"You underestimate how hard dragon skin is." Edna responded with a dull expression. She gave her arm a sudden tug and pulled Milliana off her feet to slam into Lyon. She then the tube to swing the poor Mermaid around right into Melody. "Anyone else?"

"Don't get too cocky now!" Cygnus moved in again, preparing to slug Enda across the face. But when he did, the female swayed to the side and swung her leg at the gravity god's side, sending him tumbling along the ground. "Ouch."

"This one's annoyingly persistent in some ways, isn't she?" Heather said while sliding into a stance. So far things weren't looking too for this group with Edna's surprising amount of durability. "And judging by the sky…we're running low on time."

"That's correct…" Hibiki said from the sidelines. "We don't have the time to fully be fighting this one…"

"That's fine with me." Edna shrugged, wings beginning to flap, lifting her into the air. "I got more important things to do than deal with you losers. As time runs low, the curtain for the final act begins to rise. It would suck if you were late to this event, you know."

"Too bad for you." Reve said while taking aim at Edna along with Heather and Jaxon. "You won't be making it to the final curtain." One that cue, Reve fired bullets, Heather fired scales, and Jaxon unleashed multiple raindrops in rapid succession that made them appear like needless. All of them raced towards Edna, but in the end she blocked them with another crystal shield. "Tch!"

"They do say Jewelry is a woman's best friend…" Jaxon said with some annoyance tucked within his voice.

"Now then, if you lameos will excuse me…" With that, Edna flew off.

"Damn, that one's annoying…" Cygnus said while rubbing his head. "Where are we supposed to go now?"

"Isn't it obvious?" Heather said while taking the lead on the team, pointing in the direction Edna was flying. "She's heading back to the castle; therefore she's going in the direction of the city. That's our original destination anyway. So pick yourselves up and let's get going."

.

.

"W-What is it about you humans that makes you so strong!?" Nasir was in a fit of rage against Gildarts and Jura. For some reason, even for a pair of humans, he wasn't having as much success as he thought he would be. This reminded him of his loss against Wendy and it angered him greatly.

"Didn't think a mighty dragon would throw a fit when it was losing," Gildarts shrugged. "I've tussled with your kind before, and I have to say you aren't half the dragon he was."

"Don't compare me!" Nasir yelled.

"Even so…this is taking far too long…" Jura commented. "We're running out of time…it's almost nightfall."

"It is…" Gildarts nodded in agreement. "Hurry up and come back down here so we can move on."

"As much as I would love to…" Nasir stared at the castle which he could see from afar whilst in the air. "I have bigger plans to attend to. You humans will rue this day you dared challenge our island." With that, Nasir flew back to the city, leaving Jura and Gildarts on their own.

"Well, you heard 'em…let's crash his plans." Gildarts said to Jura, who gave a nod. The two were now on their way to the city.

.

.

"So…anyone want to explain where this one came from…?" Eve pointed at the fire demon standing before them. This was the exact same one Daityas summoned not too long ago, and it stumbled across Minerva's group while incinerating everything in its path just by walking. "It's quite unhandsome, if you ask me. Ichyia-senpai would be very displeased if he laid his eyes on this…"

"That's a demon without a doubt…" Minerva said while preparing for a fight. "Straight from the depths of hell…"

"We're not seriously going to fight it, are we!?" Toby shouted. "I DON'T WANT TO BECOME A HOT DOG! ON!"

"Please, calm down…" Ren shook his head to get Toby's voice out of his ear. "We haven't much time…so we may have to hurry this along, handsomely, of course."

"Don't even worry about it." Waiston said with a cocky grin, cracking his knuckles as an icy aura began to flare around his body. "We got this one, right Kuro!?"

"Of course!" Kuro stood next to his partner with a cheery grin. "Nothing can beat us!"

"We best prepare for a quick bout then…" Rufus said while placing his fingers on his temples. "I don't like wasting any time."

.

.

Jellal ran into the unlikely pair of Hisui and Lucius. He recognized the Jade Princess and the one thing he could not understand is why she was with Lucius, especially after the warnings of those in white coats. "Princess Hisui!" Jellal called out to the princess, but not only did Hisui not seem to hear him, Lucius wiped out his scythe and threw it forward like a boomerang, The sharp end nearly sliced Jella's head off had he not evaded with Meteor at the last second.

"Ah…" Lucius turned around and caught his returning scythe, running a hand through his pink hair while staring at Jellal. "I see someone has finally come after the lost Princess. It's sad thing to say, but she will be sticking with me for just a while longer. I promised I'd take her to the Dragon King, after all."

"I'm afraid I can't allow you to escort her anymore." Jellal said while glaring at Lucius. "Return her at once."

"If you so wish…" Lucius shrugged, taking a step to the side. "If she wishes to go, then let's see her go." …And after Lucius said that, Hisui turned around, only to reveal the near lifeless look in her eyes; almost as though her spirit was sucked from her very being. "Oh, no response? I guess she doesn't wish to go anywhere."

"W-What…?" Jellal's eyes widened at the sight of Hisui. "W-What have you done to her? Who are you?"

"I was hoping you'd ask." Lucius let out an egotistical chuckle before responding to Jellal's question. "I am Lucius, one of Pergrande's 13 Commandants. One of my beautiful magics allows me to control people that have been within my presence for a long period of time. The lovely Princess here has been in my care nearly the entire day; I'd be surprised if she even had the tiniest shred of free will left."

"You monster…" Jellal clenched his hand into a fist. "You will release her this instant, Lucius."

"Let me see…" Lucius tapped his chin before suddenly vanishing with a few petals of roses in his wake; the next second he appeared before Jellal and attempted a vertical slash. Unfortunately for the Commandant he whiffed as Jellal shifted to the side; the sinner aimed a heavenly magic infused punch at Lucius's jaw, striking the handsome male directly. The Commandant staggered back a step while rubbing his chin, a grin spreading along his lips. "Ah…you're much faster than I thought. This should be entertaining."

"Meteor!" Jellal exclaimed as a heavenly light erupted from around his body. Using this he sped towards Lucius to close the gap within mere seconds, preparing to unleash multiple close combat blows. To his surprise Lucius was able to keep up easily, elegantly evading the blows Jellal sent. At the last one, Lucius' body dispersed into rose petals once again and he instantly appeared behind Jellal, one palm extended as a beam of darkness magic shot out.

"…!" The saint gasped as Lucius vanished, but he sensed the commandant's presence behind him. Jellal turned and crossed his arms, tanking the beam of darkness magic, though he slid back across the ground with bruised arms. Before he could even make a move, Lucius was upon him again from above, aiming to decapitate Jellal right on the spot. Jellal was quick to evade with a dodge roll, now hopping up while pointing his palm forward. "Hah!" From his palm, a beam of heavenly body magic shot out and struck Lucius, sending the opposing male flying back until he caught his balance. Jellal did not stop there; once Lucius was successfully knocked away, one swipe of his hand and several arrows of Heavenly Body magic towards him.

"My!" Lucius exclaimed with what was almost delight, twirling his scythe in a counterclockwise motion. "You're quite strong for someone from Fiore. Normally my opponent's would be dead by now! But you're much too fast for me to use my true magic on you, which makes this slightly less enjoyable, though fun nonetheless."

Jellal ignored Lucius' words and continued to move with the offensive momentum. With another swipe of his hand, a shockwave shot out and the very ground underneath Lucius began to give way. "Abyss Break!"

"Wha…" Lucius was truly caught off guard by this move. He staggered around before taking the only option he could: leaping back. But Jellal anticipated this and used Meteor to speed forward, slamming a powerful haymaker for Lucius' pretty face. The force was more than enough to send the commandant tumbling around before finally coming to a halt. "Oof…my face…! How dare you! I think you bruised it!"

"Your face won't be the only thing coming out of this with a bruise. I won't ask you again. Release her." Jellal demanded while throwing off his cloak to the ground.

"No." Lucius responded while waving a finger; unbeknownst to the two of them, Marshall of Empyrean Dawn was watching in the shadows, a grin stretching along his lips as he was finally about to receive his action for the day.

"Finally. A chance to blow off my never ending steam…" A red aura cloaked Marshall. He was angry…not even just that. He was the embodiment of anger. He was Wrath.

.

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Next Time: Reunion.


	50. Chapter 49: Reunion

"The sky's looking pretty dark…" Meredy looked up at the sky above, noticing how some stars were starting to become visible. "I don't know how much time we have left, but I'm starting to get a little nervous…"

"We're going to be cutting this incredibly close, that's for sure…" Blues grunted. "But I can tell we're getting closer to the site of the Mystic Water. The scent is unmistakable and I've never been near it before."

"Just a little farther!" Juvia exclaimed. "We have to hurry! Who knows how badly Cynthia-san is suffering right now…!"

"I'm still worrying about the others as well…" Aira voiced her thoughts aloud. "We still haven't heard any word on Leon, Takeru, or Mirajane…"

"I'm sure they're fine." Kuro Chi said with a mumbled and a nod.

"I'm still worrying about Ena…" Erza admitted. The skies were too quiet after the rain…there was no word from Ena or Kurthnaga after their confrontation. "I'm sure she's okay…but…"

Blues held his arm out to halt everyone from advancing. "Wait…something's coming." Everyone stopped moving and stayed silent for a few moments until…an explosion of acid occurred just a few yards away. Several draconian soldiers were thrown back from the force of the explosion. "Acid?"

"That means…!" Aira's expression almost instantly lit up.

Aira's hunch was correct. Leon made his return by leaping over the incline in his Acid Drive, unleashing several beams of acid at the soldiers that survived. He took them out with relative ease and landed on the ground just in front of the group, exiting his drive while letting out a sigh. He was covered in bruises and other marks, but he was fine overall. "What a workout…" He then turned around and merely greeted them with a wave. "Oh! Hi guys! Haven't seen you since yesterday."

"Leon!" Aira rushed over to Leon, unable to contain her happiness. "Are you okay?! Are you hurt!?"

"Oh yeah, I'm fine! Just a little banged up…but its fine, I've had worse." Leon replied with a grin.

"Haven't seen him since yesterday and he looks like he's just fine…" Erza shook her head. "Listen Leon…we need to inform you of what's going on, and quickly. There isn't much time left before the Council eradicates this island…"

"Whoa, what…!?" Leon's eyes widened in surprise. "But there are so many innocent dragons here…!"

"We know, and that's why we have to get moving," Erza stated in a firm tone. "We're almost at the Mystic Water Lake, so let's keep moving."

.

.

"The sky's looking dark…" Rogue said while glancing up at the sky. "I can only assume this means we're beginning to run low on time…"

"This isn't good…" Selene sighed. "I can tell we're getting closer, but at this rate we're really going to have to push through the dragons if we want to save everyone in time. Ah…how's Kagura? Is she awake yet?"

"Lemme see…" Cana dug in her pocket and pulled out Kagura's card. "Ah…her breathing is more noticeable but she doesn't seem to be awake yet. It looks like she'll just have to sit the rest of this out."

"We could use her strength too…" Sting put his hands behind his head before letting out a sigh. "I have faith we'll be able to make it. We've been through worse."

"Albeit with a much larger time frame…" Luke pointed out. "Still no word on Tak and Leon though…"

"And Mira's still missing too…I'm worried about her the most…" Lucy said while rubbing her arm. "Everything we've heard about her all day today is that the worst has befallen her…but I refuse to believe that."

"I'm sure Mira's fine, she's tough, ya know." Natsu stated without any worry in his voice. He then stopped when feeling a familiar presence in the air. "Hold on a moment…"

"What's wrong, Natsu?" Happy questioned.

"Someone's watching us…" Natsu replied.

"We really can't catch a break today, can we…?" Gray let out a groan of annoyance while preparing to fight. "I hope it's not those Commandant bastards again…"

Lucy shuttered at the thought of Xen and Laura coming after her again. "Those two need to leave me alone…I don't even know what they want from me…"

"…" Selene remained silent while tilting her head. She took a few steps forward before, eyes narrowing while staring at the shadows. "Is that…?" Before she knew it, a lone dragon soldier lunged from the shadows, but before it could strike a shadow katana ran through the dragon and killed it on the spot. That was all Selene needed to see before a smile graced her lips.

Takeru emerged from the shadows while letting out an exhausted sigh. "Man…that guy's been avoiding me all day…" He then noticed the group, eyes widening as he didn't expect them to come back so soon. "Serena?! Guys?"

"Tak!" And without thinking about it Selene practically threw herself at Takeru, bringing them both down to the ground. "There you are! I was so worried!"

"Found Tak." Draco raised a finger, unable to hold back the goofy grin.

"That's one less thing to worry about," Chelia said with a small laugh. "But we can't relax just yet…we still have to move before this isle blows up with us on it."

"Wait what." Takeru blinked.

"We've got a little explaining to do…just follow us to the city entrance and we'll tell you on the way." Yukino said with a minor sweat drop on her forehead.

.

.

Jellal and Lucius were still locked in the middle of fierce combat. Jellal used Meteor to his upmost advantage, attempting to out speed the commandant, but to his surprise Lucius was quite nimble as well. Neither of them were making any progress against the other, therefore resulting in a stalemate that wasn't going to end anytime soon. "How strong are you…?" Jellal questioned while panting softly.

"That's a question I should be asking you," Lucius responded while running a hand through his hair. "As I said before, none of my opponents have lasted this long in a one on one contest with me. Your strength is truly notable…I'm almost glad I cannot use my Reaper's Spell against you, for I'm having too much fun with this."

"You sure seem to know a lot…" Jellal responded. "If this is true, then you should know exactly why I don't have the time to be messing around with you. Return the Princess now."

"Ah, that's the crux of the matter, is it not?" Lucius chuckled. "We don't have time, yet here we are, squandering what little time we have let. The regal lady would be thrilled to know we were fighting over her…if she was conscious, that is."

"Tch…" Jellal clenched his fist, now realizing that he was going to have to finish this as quickly as he possibly could. Before anyone could make a move, a sword flew right between the two male's, aimed directly for the unmoving Hisui. "What!?" Jellal acted first, using Meteor to speed towards the blade and shot a blast that sent it right back to the sender.

Marshall, standing at a height of 6 feet and 5 inches, grabbed his blade after Jellal deflected it, a grin plastered on his lips. "Now that I have your attention…"

"Who's this?" Lucius asked Jellal as if he knew.

"The more important question is…which one of you is the stronger one?" Marshall asked while eying both Lucius and Jellal, the red aura around him steadily growing larger with each passing second.

"Ah…" Lucius saw the prime opportunity in this and began walking off. "That would be the blue haired fellow. This lovely lady and I were going to head over to the castle. Come now, Hisui dear. We've an appointment and we cannot be late."

Hisui visibly cringed before nodding, following right behind Lucius. "Y-Yes…"

"Wait!" Jellal attempted to go after the pair, but Marshall was already right in front of him with his sword at the ready.

"Sorry, but you're mine now." Marshall swung his sword horizontally at Jellal who narrowly evaded the sudden strike. Marshall's swing was so powerful a shockwave went out for at least a mile, utterly decimating everything in its path.

"What strength…!" Jellal thought to himself while keeping distance using Meteor.

"Don't run away from me now!" Marshall yelled angrily while lunging towards Jellal; though he wasn't capable of keeping up, he was able to strike from afar with a series of slashes, sending incredibly large shockwaves at the heavenly saint.

Jellal had to be evasive, maneuvering as best he could to avoid the large shockwaves. Unfortunately, one clipped his leg and sent him spiraling to the ground. He tumbled before catching himself; however Marshall left no room for reprieve and began unleashing countless sword strikes, his power growing still. "He's like a raging bull! Just attacking and attacking…!" Jellal thought while swaying his body to avoid Marshall's strikes. Finally, an opening was spotted. Jellal clenched his hand into a fist and slammed it into Marshall's kidney, halting the assault right there; he then followed up with a heavenly magic infused roundhouse to Marshall's skull, knocking him down to the ground. To finish it, he planned on kicking Marshall while he was down…but to his surprise everything about Marshall changed in that vital second. Marshall, while still on the ground, merely shifted his body in a lazy manner to avoid Jellal's finishing kick. "What…?"

"It's pretty comfortable here…" Marshall yawned, almost as if he forgot he was fighting Jellal….and at the same time whenever Jellal sent an attack, Marshall just happen to twist and turn out of the way. He was dodging…but it wasn't on purpose. He was trying to get comfortable, but he just couldn't, no matter what position he lay in. He honestly didn't even want to move.

"What is this…from anger to laziness…?" Jellal thought to himself before raising his hand, creating a sphere of heavenly body magic. He threw it towards Marshall, where a blinding explosion occurred on contact. "That had to have done it…" As the dust settled, Marshall was seen standing once again…only this time there was a green aura around his body.

"You know…" Marshall began with a devious smirk curling on his lips. "I like your magic…it makes me…green with Envy." With that, Marshall's eyes flashed a yellow glow before the exact same aura Jellal used for Meteor wrapped around Marshall. With this, Marshall sped towards the unsuspecting Jellal and clocked him in the face; the momentum carried sending Jellal tumbling along the ground before coming to a halt with widened eyes.

"What…? He copied my magic…but how…? Who are you?" Jellal grit his teeth while standing upright.

.

.

Minerva swiped her hand, sending several spikes of Territory towards the fire demon Daityas conjured up just moments before. The spikes impaled the demon's arm, resulting in a roar of pain before it spewed out incredibly how flames from its mouth, completely incinerating everything in its path. "I don't think that had as much as an effect as I would've hoped."

"HOT HOT HOT!" Toby was flailing around the flames, worrying about the wellbeing of his sock over anything else. "IT'S GONNA BURN MY SOCK!"

"Toby, please calm down…" Yuka used his anti-magic field to create an area free of flames. It was all he could really do at this point while allowing the others to take action.

"Allow us, beautiful Minerva!" Eve said with Ren right beside him. Eve extended his hand to unleash a small snowstorm from his palm that raced towards the fire demon. "White Fury!"

"Air Burst!" Ren followed up with a quick burst of wind to fuse with Eve's White Fury, creating an intensifying snowstorm that froze over the residual flames the demon left behind.

"And for good measure…" Waiston puffed his cheeks out, unleashing a Frozen Dragon's Roar; the funnel of ice combining with Eve and Ren's attacks. The triple attack struck the demon's chest directly, though before any major damage could be dealt the natural heat of the demon dispersed the attack. "Nothing?!" The demon then let out a roar before slamming a fist onto the ground, creating a pillar of flames directly underneath everyone which they had to avoid by jumping to the side.

"That thing almost flame broiled my hair!" Yes, that was Jenny's prime concern at the moment. But to be fair her body and clothing was bruised and torn.

"This thing is really tough…where did it even come from?!" Kuro Crane asked while panting softly.

"That doesn't matter too much right now, let's just blow it down!" Orga exclaimed while pointing his palm forward, black lightning beginning to surge from around his body. He clenched his fist, and in the next instant a bolt of obsidian lightning dropped down from the sky above to smite the demon. A direct hit, though it was hard to say if it did any damage as well.

Rufus placed two fingers on his temple, a red magic seal forming behind him. "Memory Make: Whirlwind Fang!" With a swipe of his free hand, several tornados were sent towards the demon in attempt to snuff out the flames. The demon was consumed by the tornado; however it merely dispersed them afterwards with its overpowering strength. "W-what!?"

"Nothing we do is working…this isn't looking too good…" Jenny was being serious about the situation now.

"I'm going to take care of this." Kuro stepped forward, alone, with a serious expression on his face.

Someone was about to move forward but Waiston held his arm out, shaking his head. "No. Let him take care of this. I trust he has something in mind."

"I heard Fullbuster fought a demon and gained its powers…" Kuro mumbled while steeling himself, taking several steps towards the stationary demon. "I've conquered them all…the flames of a dragon…a god…but not the flames of a devil….and I refuse to fall behind anyone…" With Kuro approaching, the demon threw its fist towards him in attempt to crush him. Kuro held his hands out and stopped the flaming fist with his own two hands, sliding back in the process. "So…whether you like it or not…I'm taking…your power!"

"W-What on earth is he doing…!?" Jenny shouted with concern in her voice.

There was a bright glow as a tattoo began to spread along his arm. His previous training with Daityas allowed this possible. The flames of the demon began to weaken before Kuro finally had a Devil Slaying Tattoo on his arm. Once he was done he reared his arm back, devil flames appearing along the limb. "Flame Devil's…Thermal Fist!" The impact of the punch was more effective than anything thus far; the demon was sent tumbling back across the field. "And…" Kuro inhaled, flames beginning to circle around his mouth. "Flame Devil's Rage!" The new Devil Slayer spewed flames forward, completely consuming the demon. There was a distorted roar before the demon was ironically incinerated by its own flames in a sense. Once it all died down, Kuro let out a heavy sigh while dusting off his hands. "That was something!"

"And he just shrugs it off after?" Ren blinked.

"White Eclipse…" Minerva placed one hand on her hip, letting out a distasteful sigh. She actually really couldn't stand anyone from the guild.

.

.

Time until Etherion Fires: 60 minutes.

The sky was dark; stars twinkled in the night. Now, just about everyone was gathered in front of the gates leading to the city excluding Erza's group, Jellal, and Hisui. "It looks like we all made it…" Levy said while going over everyone. "Erza's group is still missing…along with Ichiya's, but I guess they're still working on the Christina…Mira is still missing too I see…"

"Where could she be…?" The injured Lisanna mumbled under her breath.

"We'll probably meet them inside the city." Laxus nodded. "Speaking of, how about we quit talking and just kick this gate open already?"

"I concur…" Joker made his comment and everyone was on edge. "What?"

"Okay whose bright idea was this?" Lucy narrowed her eyes at Joker while looking at Dealer. Ace, Spade, and Heartless were comically sweating as everyone had eyes on them.

"We don't have time to argue." Freed stated before his gaze went in Cynthia's direction, and she was looking worse. The red scales completely covered her arm and hands, while also reaching up her neck and nearly reached up to half her face. "I wish Erza's group was here already…"

"We'll just have to rush inside…Which I can't wait to do. I've been waiting for this all day…giehehe…" Gajeel grinned. He then sniffed the air, looking over at the others. "The hell…did it just get a little colder or is it just me…?"

"I think the temperature did drop a little…" Tia said while cautiously looking around.

Cobra's ears perked up slightly. He heard something approaching and it was doing so rapidly. "Something's coming…!" There was actually a little bit of worry in his voice, though no one would have the time to understand why in time. It all happened so quickly; a blue magic seal formed underneath the entire group and a large glacier rose within the chilling wind. In a flash of light, nearly everyone was consumed within the frozen prison, wearing shocked expressions from the very last second of realization.

"Wh-wha…?" Lucy's eyes opened slowly, only to realize her arms and legs were stuck within a glacier. "Huh!? E-Everyone!?" She looked around, unable to spot anyone within the artificially created frozen wasteland. "W-What's going on!?"

"Finally…" Xen dusted his hands off while letting out a minor sigh. "We've got you right where we want you, and none of your friends are going to interfere with us this time."

"That's right! This time you're ours." Laura said with a sinister grin.

Lucy's eyes widened in fear as the severity of the situation began setting in. They were all trapped and there was no way out…and at the worst possible time.

.

.

Next Time: Eternal Ice.


	51. Chapter 50: Eternal Ice

"Finally, we've got you right where we want you." Xen said with a devious grin spreading along his lips. "No more running away for you."

"That's right," Laura spoke with a sinister wink. "You're stuck with us now. This time you're not weaseling your way away from us, and your friends can't help you this time."

"N-No! Stop! Leave me alone! Let them go!" Lucy demanded while trying to free herself from the ice, but to no avail, she was stuck.

"No can do." Laura responded before pulling out that accursed whistle. "Now we're going to do this a second time, and this time we're going doing uninterrupted, mkay?" And with that Laura placed her lips on the whistle and blew, once again releasing that noise that only Lucy's ears could hear, and just like before it began driving her crazy.

"N-No! S-Stop…!" Lucy shut her eyes while trashing about as much as she could violently.

Luckily for Lucy, she was actually not alone in this ordeal. From Laura's blindside, Gray emerged with his fist covered in purple ice. "Ice Devil's Frozen Impact!" He exclaimed just as he swung at Laura's skull.

"Huh!?" Laura noticed Gray at the literal last second, leaping away from his downward swing. She dropped the whistle as a result and glared at the interfering ice mage. "You again? Don't you ever give up!?"

"Funny, I should be saying the same thing to you!" Gray said before standing in front of Lucy. "Lucy, are you okay!?"

"G-Gray…?" Lucy could not have been gladder to see her fellow guild mate.

"How did you break out of the ice?!" Xen questioned with a slight glare.

"It's ice." Gray replied while holding his arm up, a cold mist radiating from his being. "And even with that…I think you underestimated the amount of ice mages we had on our side."

"Ice Dragon's Claw!" Waiston sprung forward, aiming an ice covered snap kick at Laura. The commandant evaded, however she ended up slipping on the ice and hitting her head on something, stunning her for a little bit.

"Agh…damn…" She held her head while shaking off whatever dizziness remained. By the time she looked up, a multitude of orbs surrounding her from all angles. "…Shit." And the last thing she let out was a cry of pain as the orbs crashed into her without remorse. Ultear's Flash Forward completely overwhelmed the commandant and she lay unconscious on the ice after the assault.

"That's one taken care of…" Ultear said whilst panting softly.

"How irritating…" Xen grit his teeth slightly.

"It's annoying how you believed such ice would imprison the likes of me…" Lyon said whilst dusting himself off.

"Oh, is that all of you?" Xen quirked his brow.

"Not quite!" Diamond shouted from afar, a shell of ice dispersing slowly from her, Chelia, Wendy, Carla, and Cynthia. She looked over her shoulder at the girls before asking; "Are you three okay? That was a little close…"

"W-We're fine…" Chelia nodded slowly while rubbing her arm. Diamond was ordered at the last possible second to save the kids if she could and she managed to do so. "Cynthia, are you…"

Cynthia was breathing heavily; her body temperature was incredibly high to the point where steam was visible from her. The ice around her wasn't melting despite this fact, and she was writhing around a little bit in what looked like pain. "I-I'm okay…I-I promise…"

"She's not looking too good…" Carla muttered.

"Cynthia…just hold on, okay…?" Wendy bit her lip. "Erza-san, please hurry."

"Don't worry; we'll take care of this guy quickly…" Gray nodded to Wendy while he, Ultear, Diamond, Lyon, and Waiston prepared for battle. "Just keep an eye on Lucy and the blonde bastard for us, okay? They just don't know when to give up and take no for an answer."

"I wonder about that…" Xen's previous disposition replaced with a knowing smirk. "How can you fight me and save your friends at the same time? Such a thing would be quite impossible, actually."

"I-Impossible? How?" Ultear demanded to know.

"This ice in itself is…" Chelia began, though Xen had no issues in cutting her off.

"Most of you may not be familiar with who I am…but I am the Ice God." Xen had no issues stroking his own ego either. "This is the surface of my power, the God Arc. This black ice you see around you…this is Eternal Ice. I control Ice and Time itself…ice can be so cold it freezes the very fabric of time around us. This black ice is completely frozen in time, meaning no matter what you do you will not be able to break it and free your comrades…however you ice mages maybe be capable of slowing down the process of your friends freezing to death within the below zero temperatures."

"You bastard…!" Wasiton clenched his hand into a fist.

"That's so dirty!" Diamond complained. "He already knew his own weakness and we don't have a choice but to go with it…"

"We'll be open if we try to save everyone and there's no way we're going to be able to beat him in time to save everyone…it's much too cold for them to last more than a few minutes…" Lyon pondered. "We can't break the ice so we cannot free Jura or Gildarts…"

"Oh for crying out loud!" Chelia stepped forward. "Wendy and I can take care of this! Just focus on saving everyone! Besides…as a God Slayer, it partially falls on me to quell this…"

"Y-Yeah…!" Wendy nodded while standing next to Chelia. "W-We can take this!"

"D-Don't leave me out of this…" Cynthia brought herself onto her feet, panting heavily while hunching over. "Let me fight too!"

"But Cynthia…!" Carla started.

"We don't have time to argue!" Cynthia replied before standing next to Wendy and Chelia. "I have faith Erza and the others will bring that water over here…but in the meantime we have to make sure we can get past this! Besides…I've been waiting to tear at something all day admittedly."

"That girl is stubborn even when she's sick." Lucy shook her head while still trying to pry herself from the ice, but again to no avail.

"You heard 'em." Gray had a slight smirk before placing his hands on the ice along with the other ice mages, a blue aura glowing within the darkness. They were slowly absorbing the ice to slow the process of everyone freezing to death; however it was costing their own stamina as a result.

"Make it quick!" Waiston shouted.

"And hurry! I'm starting to lose feeling in my arms and legs…" Lucy shivered comically before giving a sneeze.

"Right!" Chelia nodded before glancing at Cynthia and Wendy. "Hey, this is the first time we've taken on a threat together like this in a while, huh? Let's make it count!

"Children? Are they so desperate?" Xen shrugged before his ice shield formed along his arm. "Very well…I suppose I'll do what I must to get my hands on what we came after." While he saw Chelia as a minor threat with her God Slaying, Xen's first real mistake was underestimating Wendy and Cynthia.

Cynthia leapt into the air while raising her scaled arm forward, crimson flames flaring along the limb before taking the shape of a claw. "Omega Fire Dragon's Claw!" Cynthia swung her arm down only to clash with Xen's shield. She leapt away but not before dealing a heavy amount of damage to the weapon.

"Sky Dragon's Claw!" Wendy followed right after Cynthia, quickly bringing her hand down as sharp winds followed the movement. Wendy's follow up was enough to shatter Xen's shield and send him staggering backwards.

"Two hits…?!" Xen didn't expect these two little girls to have so much power.

"Sky God's Whirlwind Snap!" Chelia took the opening and flew forward, delivering a black wind infused roundhouse kick to Xen's temple, sending him spiraling backwards across his own ice before coming to a halt. Chelia gave a grin to her two sisters before staring back at Xen to see how effective the direct hit was overall.

"That God Slaying magic stings…" Xen admitted. "It looks like my shield won't be of much use…but no matter, with the Ice God Arc at my disposal; I've no need to hide behind it." The Commandant held his hand forward, creating a large seal before him. "Aurora Beam." From the seal, a massive beam of ice shot out with the intent of freezing the three girls solid.

"I got it!" Cynthia took the lead while beginning to inhale, cheeks starting to inflate as red flames began to circle around her mouth in a vortex. "Omega Fire Dragon's Roar!" Lurching forward, the ravenette unleashed a potent funnel of red flames towards the incoming beam of ice, the two clashing in a powerful stalemate that eventually ended in an explosion.

Xen brought his arm up, shielding his eyes from the smoke. "Tch…little brats…"

Chelia sprinted forward through the smoke, twisting her upperbody in a counterclockwise motion. "Dance of the Sky God!" In one sharp movement, Chelia unleashed spirals of wind that forced Xen skyward with a pained yelp. Chelia looked into the sky before shouting; "Wendy!"

And Wendy was already on it. The second Xen was launched into the sky Wendy took a leap, spinning around to prepare herself for her strike. Once Xen was at the apex of his forced flight, Wendy brought her leg down in an upside down kick, unleashing a powerful gust of wind that sent Xen directly towards the ground. "Sky Dragon's Crushing Fang! Now, Cynthia!"

Cynthia sprinted along the ground, allowing her flames to flare up from around her body. She then leapt forward headfirst as Xen just barely managed to recover, slamming her flaming skull headfirst into his abdomen with force. "Omega Fire Dragon's Sword Horn!" The momentum continued until Xen flew off from Cynthia and she rolled to a stop on a knee, panting heavily. She then raised her hands up just as the other two landed, creating a large fireball over her head. "And! Radiant Blaze!" Cynthia hurled the blaze forward, backed by Wendy and Chelia's raging winds for what was going to be an explosive impact.

"Enough of this!" Xen yelled in irritation holding his hand forward to 'catch' the blaze, allowing black ice to freeze over the flames and wind before crushing it within the palm of his hand. He was damaged by the three girl's assault and it was annoying him that kids were getting the best of him. "I'm done playing around with you children. You're going to enter the world of adulthood right now!" A bright blue aura began to swirl around Xen's body, his skin turning pitch black as he activated the power of his God Arc. This mean he was unleashing his true power, and among these three girls no less. With the swipe of his hand, a powerful raging blizzard composed of sharp ice shards occurred and was strong enough to knock the girls off their feet while damaging them with the ice.

"Ah, they were doing so well before…!" Diamond bit her lip, fighting the urge to go help them as they needed to ensure everyone's safety.

"Shit, that power increase…." Waiston was never one to feel the cold, but even he felt a small shiver when it came to the aura Xen was giving off.

"Ugh…" Cynthia laid on her back, growling in a feral manner. The infection was beginning to spread even faster due to rapid use of magic. "AGh..."

"Cynthia…!" Wendy winced from the pain of Xen's attack.

"She's getting feral again…but she's trying to fight it…" Carla knelt down over Cynthia, looingd over at Chelia and Wendy worriedly.

"I-I'm fine…!" Cynthia fought against the urges and stood back up, heaving heavily. "He froze my flames, now I HAVE to get this guy back…!"

"Cynthia, don't push yourself so much!" Carla shouted in worry but it didn't seem like it was crossing her mind.

"Spare me the drama." Xen placed his palm on the ice as three magic seals appeared underneath the three girls. "And now that I've got data on the three of you, that'll make things oh so much simpler…your wind and flames will freeze to my ice. Inverno." On that call, several glaciers of obsidian ice rose to encase the three girls in ice, only to explode violently after, sending them scattering in three separate directions.

"Wendy! Chelia! Cynthia!"

"He's too strong…" Ultear mumbled. "Especially with that God Arc of his…"

"Come on you three! You can do it…!" Lucy shouted for encouragement.

Wendy managed to catch herself, though there was a numb feeling throughout her entire body from taking Xen's bone chilling hits directly. Without much thinking she spread her arms, a faint light encasing her, Cynthia, and Chelia. "Arms, Armor, Vernier!" Calling out these three spells, Wendy effectively gave all three of them a large increase in strength, speed, and defense. "Now!"

"Right!" Chelia nodded appreciatively for Wendy's buffs. She then sped forward while rearing her arm back, a mini cyclone wrapping around her limb. "Sky God's Tempest Fist!" Chelia swung her arm forward, unleashing a massive cyclone of black wind that consumed Xen. Though this didn't last for long as the wind froze over before completely shattering, leaving the sky goddess wide eyed. "W-What…!?"

"The breeze of a mere slayer pales in comparison to the power of a god. Ice Hammer." Xen raised his hand and quickly brought it down on Chelia with incredible force, an explosion of ice occur on impact; Chelia let out a cry of pain while being thrown backwards.

"You…!" Cynthia sprinted towards Xen before stopping just a few feet short, gripping her wrist with her hand as her palm was held flat open. "Flame Palm!" From her palm, a sudden burst of omega flames shot out and completely consumed the ice god. When it faded he was unburned, though his cloak suffered the incinerations. "Ah…!?"

"Fire from a dragon cannot even come close to melting god's ice." He grabbed Cynthia's arm and tossed her into the air, though her flight didn't last long as he conjured a block of black ice to crash right into her, shattering as she hit the ground with a pained yelp.

"Cynthia! Chelia!" Wendy's eyes widened as those closest to her were being thrown around without much effort. She puffed her cheeks out before unleashing a massive whirlwind from her mouth in the form of her Sky Dragon's Roar; the impact with Xen created an explosion which finally bought them time to breathe. "Are you two okay?!"

"I've had worse…" Chelia groaned while shaking her head.

"I-I…." Cynthia struggled to speak; the scales started to get thicker and spread down her back. "It hurts Wendy…"

"She has to stop fighting now." Carla made the decision, kneeling over Cynthia. "If this keeps up she'll speed up the Dragonification before Erza's team can get back with the water."

"Carla, please watch over her." Wendy pleaded, though she really didn't even have to ask. Then…in that next second, a single shard of black ice flew through the smoke; it flew right past Wendy's eyes and pierced right through Carla's side. Blood flew from the Exceed's mouth and she collapsed onto her side with a lifeless look. "C-CARLAAAA!"

Xen walked through the smoke, dusting his hands off with his cold stare. He was practically ignoring the ice mages at this point and even Lucy at this point while all his focus went onto the girls. "Why fret over the loss of one of you? You all will perish under my might soon enough." And with no motion, a magic seal appeared before him, unleashing several lances of black ice towards Chelia, Wendy, and Cynthia.

"Shit!" Waiston cursed.

"Somebody do something!" Lyon shouted in worry.

"I have to get over there!" Ultear shouted.

"Go! Help those kids! I'll take your work! Don't worry about me!" Diamond practically ordered Ultear to move.

Ultear nodded and leapt forward, placing one hand in her palm and threw them forward. "Ice Make: Rose Shield!" A rose shield composed of ice formed between Ultear and the girls, shielding them from Xen's finishing blow. "Are you three okay!?"

"C-Carla…!" Wendy stammered with tears beginning to form in her cheeks.

"Don't worry about her." Ultear said with a reassuring smile. "The area around us has been frozen in time as that man has stated before thanks to his ice…I used my magic to put Carla within the frozen time, so while we're here you must use as much healing magic as possible on her, understand? As for Cynthia…she mustn't fight anymore…just looking at her shows how close the infection is to taking over. Any more use of magic will have untold results…"

"Hiding behind that shield will not do you any good…" Xen prepared to consume Ultear's shield.

"O-Oi! The rest of you! Do something about him!" Diamond shouted at the others. "I-I can support the others on my own!"

"That'll kill you!" Lyon replied at Diamond's request, though the female only met him with a smirk.

"I'm already dead." Diamond replied.

"You heard the lady!" Waiston took his hands off the ice and sprinted towards Xen with a grin on his lips. "You talk a lot about the ice of a god, but let me show you what the ice of a dragon is really capable of!" The Frozen Dragon threw a fist at Xen, but it was easily caught much to his surprise.

"Inferior beings." Xen spat before tossing Waiston into one of the many glaciers in the air with his raw physical strength. Gray and Lyon attempted to land some strikes in, but even they were unable to do much against Xen. The best thing they could do was buy time.

"Listen…" Ultear spoke to Chelia and Wendy. "He's too powerful for any of us to take him on…one on one or even as a group. But there is a way to overcome him…by use of the Third Origin. This will allow you to use magic from the future…but at the expense of having no more magic at all."

"All or nothing…" Chelia muttered. "Okay, we're in!"

"Wait." Ultear halted the girl's eagerness. "Cynthia mustn't be left unattended, nor should Carla. If Cynthia were to use this…who knows what would happen…and one of you must be around to heal Carla when time is unfrozen. So you must choose between the two of you, but I think…"

"I'll do it! I'll save everyone!" Wendy volunteered.

"Wendy!?" Chelia's eyes widened; it was at that time that Xen knocked away Lyon, Gray, and Waiston, and was now slowly making his way over to Diamond to finish her off.

"Stay here and keep Cynthia from doing anything crazy, okay?" Wendy gave Chelia a nod and actually pushed her down before turning in Xen's direction, hair and eyes suddenly turning pink as crystal-like scales formed on her wrists, ankles, and on her shoulder blades; she entered Dragon Force. "Ultear-san, do it now!" Wendy shouted while lunging at Xen.

"Wendy wait…!" Cynthia tried to stop her but it was more than too late. Ultear fired off a beam from her orb that struck Wendy.

"What is she doing?!" Lucy exclaimed.

"A-Aha…s-some help would be great guys…" Diamond struggled to laugh while staring up at Xen. She was not in a good position right now.

"Haaaa!" Wendy flew forward while swinging her leg, slamming it right into Xen's forearm since he defended against the blow. The force of the turbulent wind suddenly sent him skidding across the ice and Wendy tried to use this to her advantage. "Sky Dragon's Wind Wave!" She ran past Xen while crossing her arms, creating a sudden twister that engulfed the Ice God.

"You again…?" Xen merely asked before the raging twister around him was frozen into shards of black ice, all of them swirling around his body. "What part of this don't you understand!" Without even moving, the shards of ice flew towards Wendy, smacking into her at high speeds while causing her to stagger around as a result, one of them piercing right through her leg. He then held his hand up, creating a block of ice above her. "I am A GOD. A HUMAN CANNOT STAND UP TO A GOD!" The block of ice dropped on Wendy but she avoided it by leaping to the ice; the ice shattered but Xen merely controlled the broken pieces and had them all surrounded Wendy, encasing her in a shell of black ice that exploded violently shortly after.

"YAAAH!" Wendy cried out in pain while rolling along the ice, coming to a stop on her good knee. "W-What's going on…I-It should be working!? Where's the power…!?"

"Wendy look out!" Gray pointed at the incoming Xen.

Wendy's eyes narrowed as Xen attempted to slam her into the ice with a powerful fist, but Wendy leapt off her good leg and slammed it into Xen's cheek, flipping around with her cheeks inflated. "Sky Dragon's Roar!" Mouth opened and a massive raging hurricane unleashed from the sky dragon's lips…only to be frozen solid and broken within the same second she released it. Xen slammed his fist into Wendy's stomach, blood flying from the girl's mouth as she tumbled along the black ice, coming to a halt on her stomach. "W-What…? Why…"

"This is what happens when a human fails to learn their place." Xen created several lances of sharp black ice, all of them now rushing towards Wendy.

"No…!" Lucy cried out.

Wendy could only close her eyes and wait for impact…but nothing happened. Someone stepped in front of her at the last second. "….! You…!"

Chelia, all grown up appeared and swatted her arm to the side, easily destroying Xen's ice lances without difficulty. "I'm sorry I made you buy time like that." Chelia replied with her long hair creating a shade over her blue eyes.

"It's Chelia…" Lyon's jaw dropped at her new appearance.

"But I thought…" Diamond couldn't understand.

"Chelia's resolve to save everyone was stronger than Wendy's…" Ultear explained with an exhausted smile on her face.

[A few minutes prior]

"What is she doing…?" Cynthia sat up, holding her arm while wincing. "I have to…" She couldn't even move if she wanted to, because Chelia wasn't letting her.

"That girl…!" Chelia clenched her hands into tight fists, fighting off the tears beginning to well up in her eyes. She then turned to Ultear. "I-I can't watch this! Please, it has to be me! We're fighting against a God, and I know my magic is our best chance at winning! I-I know she told me to watch Cynthia, but I can't save her with my magic, it has to be Wendy! And we're still on the dragon's island…she's going to be needed to save Cynthia and everyone else!" By this point, the tears were rolling down her cheeks despite how she was fighting them. "Lyon, Gray, Waiston, and Diamond are all trying to save everyone but they can only do so much! So please, give me the Third Origin and let me put this evil god to rest!"

[Now]

"So now…" Chelia looked up, that sinister…evil look in her eyes as she stared down Xen. That same look she had when she fought Wendy in the Grand Magic Games, when she was temporarily known as Black Wind…when the demons attacked. But now that intention was directed towards a true enemy. "Leave the rest to me everyone. I'll teach this god some manners."

"N-No…this can't be…" Wendy was already beginning to cry.

"You think growing up will help you defeat me? I've never seen such a more laughable joke!" Xen actually laughed at this.

"So this is my magic in my final stage, huh…?" A grin curled onto Chelia's lips as she clenched her fist, black wind beginning to circulate around her hand. "I have to say…this feels pretty good…" Without another word she leapt forward, slamming her fist into Xen's jaw; the simple punch was more than enough to send him flying away at incredible speeds until he hit very ice he created. "Fighting for my dear friends that is!"

"One punch!?" Gray's jaw dropped at Chelia's strength, considering none of them were even able to make him budge.

"That power…" Xen shook off the impact but even he could not deny that he was in a dangerous situation. "I won't be bested by a mere human!" A seal appeared before the Commandant, unleashing a massive energy beam radiating nothing but sub-zero cold towards Chelia; the beam consumed her, but it didn't last long as a swing swipe of her arm dispersed the entire beam. "W-What!?"

"You're a crummy god, you know that?" Chelia said while holding up her hand, creating several blades of wind before her; with a single movement, the Blade Dance of the Sky God commenced; the blades of wind moving forward to slice and dice Xen and he was too shocked by Chelia's power to even muster an immediate counter. "A God knows that terrorizing people for no reason is not where they get their strength…it doesn't come from fighting either. A true god's strength comes from the people's prayers and believing in that god! Now that I think about it…maybe that's why you're so weak."

That did it. Those words were enough to send the cool, levelheaded commandant over the edge. Xen was now boiling with anger now that Chelia had the audacity to speak to him like that. "THAT IS ENOUGH! I WILL NOT BE RIDICULED BY A HUMAN!" A dark blue aura exploded from around Xen now that he activated his God Arc to 100% power. His increase in strength was absolutely mortifying, but Chelia did not budge an inch. Xen appeared before her within the blink of an eye, aiming a full powered punch. Chelia defended, but a barrier formed around her at the last second to soften the damage before shattering. "What…?! My full power punch was blocked by a barrier!?"

"Sniff…sniff!" Wendy stood up in her normal form, being the caster of the barrier that defended Chelia.

"No mere barrier will stop me!" Xen reared his other hand back as black ice formed on it; he slammed it into Chelia's gut, the force sending her rocketing backwards whilst encased in black ice that exploded violently once it finally stopped. "BOW BEFORE ME! ALL OF YOU!"

"Chelia!" The others cried out in worry.

The smoke settled and Chelia was still scene standing, only roughed up from Xen's attack. She turned her head and spat out some blood before looking back at Xen with that death glare. Pitch black wind began to wrap around her body as she entered her Black Sky Dual mode…but that wasn't all. She placed her hand on the black ice, beginning to absorb the God magic into her being. "That was your full power…? Then let me show you mine." Frozen Black Sky. Chelia raised her hands over her head as a mixture of black feathers and ice shards began to mix in behind her, forming into several tendrils.

"N-No…T-This can't be happening! T-That's impossible!" Xen took a step back in fear, beginning to cower at Chelia's durability.

While Chelia prepared her final attack…and her final spell, she began to reflect on what magic had done for her life. "No matter what I did I was always clumsy…but there was one thing I could excel at no problem…magic. Thanks to that magic…I made many wonderful encounters and friends…" Her mind flashed to Lamia Scale, Wendy, Carla, Fairy Tail, Cynthia…White Eclipse. Even Diana, who gifted her with Black Sky in the first place. "I'm going to be a normal girl…this is my final spell…but it's okay. Because I know I won't change…because I've got love."

"Chelia!" Wendy cried out. "I-I promise to always be your friend, okay!?"

"M-Me too!" Cynthia choked out as the tears began rolling down her cheeks. "We'll all stay friends forever! No matter what!"

Hearing those words aloud brought a smile to Chelia's lips. She nodded slowly to her two dearest friends. "I know." Her attention shifted Xen once again. "Having magic let me discover the things I hold dear…so that's why…"

"N-No…!" Xen shook his head, refusing to give into his fear. "I won't be beaten by a mere human! I refuse!" Arms spread apart, two gigantic magic seals forming before him. "The ultimate Ice Spell: Zeta Ice Beam!" The two seals shifted before unleashing a gigantic beam of ice towards Chelia…that beam was going to instantly freeze anything it touched for an eternity.

"That's why I won't let you hurt them! I hope you've made your prayers with whatever gods worship...and if not. Pick a god a pray." Chelia clapped her hands together, unleashing the tendrils of frozen black wind towards Zen; merging together for a large spiral. "AMANOMUKURO!" Chelia's triple mode attack easily pushed through Xen's full power blast and completely consumed the god.

A scream of pain escaped the Commandant's lips as his God Arc started to fade away. "Bested by a human…? Impossible….I can feel my own presence…fading away…" As Xen spoke, the Eternal Ice spell broke and everyone was freed…

.

.

Time until Etherion Fires: 53 minutes.

"W-what…!?" Carla sprang awake, wincing slightly as Wendy healed her side. "W-What's going on!? Where is everyone!? W-Wendy…Cynthia…why are you two crying…!?" At this point everyone was filled in on what happened by the ice mages and Lucy. Laura ended up escaping in the middle of the battle somehow.

Chelia returned to her regular body, sitting on her knees while facing away from everyone else. "Don't cry you two." Chelia made it sound like a demand than a wish.

"Oi…" Natsu began. "I wish I saw them coming…but what you did, Chelia…that took a really big heart. None of us could've done that…and we owe you, nothing we can do can make up for that."

"Chelia-dono…that was an honorable sacrifice…" Jura said with a soft smile.

"Are you okay…?" Raven sat next to Chelia and placed a hand on her shoulder in a comforting manner.

Chelia shook her head, facing the others with a small smile. "Don't worry about me. You can start repaying me by making sure you win this battle, okay? I can't fight with you guys anymore…b-but it's okay…because even without magic I'll still live on. Magic doesn't hold a candle to love! Which is why I believe you guys can win this battle, because you have love on your side!" The former sky god slayer did not even shed so much as a tear while Cynthia and Wendy had to force themselves to stop.

"What strong young women…" Ultear thought to herself. "Perhaps if my younger years were like theirs…"

Laura was hiding in the trees nearby before making a bolt for it. Seeing Chelia destroy Xen with such ease put her on edge. "There's no way anyone can be that strong…! We have to abort this plan…!"

.

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Fairy Tail Isle of the Dragons: Part 3 END.

Next Time: The Mystic Water


	52. Chapter 51: The Mystic Water

Xen was crawling. Literally crawling as he made his narrow escape from immediate death from Chelia's hands. He was gasping for air, struggling to remain conscious. Chelia's final attack nearly killed him on the spot, but he managed to escape at the last second before he was completely erased from existence…but really he was just delaying the inevitable. He was already erased…he was a god with no supporters. "Must…return…to…ship…and…recover…."

"My, my…" Brax stood over Xen with his hands on his hips, peering down at his comrade. "That girl gave you quite the beating didn't she? I saw the whole thing…and I have to admit, I was just as surprised as you were. Her power for those brief moments most certainly rivaled even one of the four Generals. You tried to use your full power to shut her down but you hardly managed to scratch her, didn't you? And you knew that…you knew you lost after that first punch, didn't you? You're a smart man, after all, Xen. The most brilliant mind in Pergrande save for our King."

"Help…me…" Xen pleaded.

"To think…" Brax kept talking. "She took you out in a few mere moves…you are aware that the triple mode thing was just overkill…oh, I'm sure you are since you felt it. Any other attack would've done the same thing…it's a miracle you escaped and survived this long. Tell me, Xen…how does it feel to have been defeated?" Xen couldn't even give Brax a response, which made this all the greater for the lower ranking Commandant. "Now let me tell you something that makes this great." A smirk curled onto the lips of Brax. "I've got all the evidence I need to turn you in for treason."

Xen's eyes widened, knowing exactly what it was Brax was referring to. "N-No…W-Wait…I can…explain…"

"You can explain? Oh, I know some people who would love to hear your explanation." Brax grabbed Xen's arm and began dragging him in the direction he came. "This will be incredibly worthwhile."

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Time until Etherion Fires: 50 Minutes.

"Are all the holdups done…?" Gajeel asked in an irritated tone. "We're losing time now!"

"He's right, that little detour wasted ten minutes of our time…" Rogue replied.

"The handsome reinforcements have arrived!" Ichiya shouted from above. He, and the remaining members Quatro Cerberus successfully repaired the Christina and were flying just above the city.

"We aren't missing the action! It's gonna be WILD!" Bacchus shouted while pumping a fist into the air.

"FOUR!" The members of Quatro Cerberus exclaimed in unison.

"There's something else approaching…" Cobra's ears perked while looking up into the sky. "I think we have more reinforcements coming."

"Friends?" Yukino asked, only to have it answered quickly. Gaia landed in her full dragon form with several others on her back: the other members of Cosmic Star: Alex, Daryan, Yakuza, Magnus, and Shadowlore. They hopped off her back and she returned to normal. "Oh..!"

"Helloooooooo ladies!" Daryan said whilst giving a bow. "It has been far, FAR too long! But Cosmic Star has returned to give assistance!"

"Great, just what we need…" Minerva huffed silently while crossing her arms. "Incompetence at the end…"

"Hey now, I take offense to that!" Shadowlore said with a faux frown. 'I'll have you know I can be very reliable…" His eyes then found Milliana. "Oh, there she is~" He took one step forward, but Melody stood in front of him with her eyes narrowed. "No. I don't want another silver bullet…killjoy."

"Glad we're on the same page!" Melody beamed.

"Wait, aren't we missing some people…namely a certain beautiful mermaid?" Daryan's eyes scoped out for Kagura, but he found nothing.

"She's right here." Cana pulled out Kagura's card before stuffing it back in her pocket.

"Maybe I should hold onto it for safe keeping?" Daryan suggested.

"Even I know you're the last person she'd want to be in possession of this." Cana scoffed.

"Are we all good to get going then!?" Natsu broke the greetings and pounded his fists together.

"LET'S GO!"

"Wait just a moment~" Brax called out to the group while walking forward, dragging Xen along with him. "I can't let you go just yet, there's a little something you should see!"

"A white coat…" Lucy took a step back, but she had the others to stand in front of her this time. "What's with these guys…"

"That's the same guy who attacked us…" Lisanna mumbled.

"Wait, isn't that the guy Chelia beat!?" Lyon pointed at the dying Xen. "I thought…"

"Who's that guy…?" Yaukuza, the Ice God Slayer, questioned.

"Someone we could've used your help with a few minutes ago…" Diamond groaned.

"Oh, he's dying." Brax said before throwing Xen onto the ground and dusting his hands after. "It's a miracle he's alive, honestly. After all, the power of that girl rivaled one of your strongest…quite the danger if you ask me. It's a good thing she has no magic anymore if you ask me."

Just that comment alone caused Wendy to growl. "You…!"

"But enough about that!" Brax changed the subject. "This dying god right here has reached his final graces."

"What does that mean…?" Levy asked.

"He's failed countless times in his mission to retrieve a certain subject…and not only that, to believe that he planned treason against the very kingdom by trying to use this island to overthrow the king!" Brax grinned. The plan the other Commandants discussed was coming to light…to those that planned to take over Pergrande, Brax was the traitor. "And the price for treason is death."

"Y-You…!" Xen's weak eyes widened. "W-Wait…I-I can explain…please…give me another chance…I-I'll do anything!"

"Oh?" Brax quirked a brow. "Beg for your live."

"P-please…d-don't kill me…!" Xen was begging. He didn't want to die.

"Ah, that's a sweet sound…how I've longed to hear a god grovel at my feet and beg for his life. Who would've thought it would be you of all people." Brax let out a chuckle.

"A-Are you…" Xen started.

"Bye bye." Brax snapped his fingers and flames suddenly consumed Xen before anyone could make a move. The Commandant was incinerated to nothing while the others watched.

"You…!" Immediately Natsu clenched his hand into a tight fist. "Why the hell did you do that!? What's he your comrade!?"

"He was no longer my comrade the second I heard the treasonous words fly from his lips." Brax explained. "Would any of you keep a traitor amongst your ranks? Someone who's either tried to overthrow something you hold dear, or has risked your life for their benefit?"

"Funny you should say that…" Laxus commented.

"There's someone who comes to mind…" Selene shook her head. "But that's beside the point. What prevented you from talking things out at the very least!?"

"Ah, bleeding hearts are ya?" Brax questioned. "Listen here…Pergrande doesn't take bleeding hearts. We crush anything that opposes us, got it memorized?" Dusting his hands off, he turned around and started to walk off. "By the way, one of my comrades has been with your Jade Princess all day since you lot somehow ended up losing her. Though by now I can only wonder how she's been doing.

"Get back here you…!" Natsu started but was held back by Lucy.

"We've wasted enough time out here already." Laxus said while turning to the city cates. "We'll settle everything else once we break down that wall."

"Allow me." Gildarts took a step forward before throwing his fist at the gates. The gate instantly shattered from the Ace's raw strength. He had no issues taking the lead either. "It's about to get hectic…good, it's been a while since I stretched my limbs."

"Finally! It's time to kick some ass!" Natsu exclaimed, everyone letting out a rallying cry behind him.

.

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"My King, it appears the humans have breached the city gates." Eizen reported with a faint bow. "The endgame is upon us."

"I see…" Dhegensea merely nodded. "The Chosen has been dispatched to deal with the future bump in the road…aside from that, there are no more problems coming our way. We are free to dispose of these humans however we sit fit. Where are my children?"

"Prince Kurthnaga is returning now. As for Ena…I believe her whereabouts are unknown still. After their skirmish in the skies we lost track of her. I apologize." Nasir bowed, but it seemed he didn't have to.

"Time's almost up…" Drake mumbled. "I'll activate that infection's true power when I see them again."

"I still wonder why the King puts so much faith in that floppy Chosen." Edna merely sighed while kicking a pebble. "She's human just like the rest of those flesh bags. If you ask me, it would've been much better if she just stuck with 'em."

"Ah…" Venoma wagged her finger back and forth. "You see, the King has faith in the Chosen not only because Fate demands it…but because of what she truly is. She is not just a mere human, Edna my dear. She is a divine messenger from the heavens. That is why she will not fail us."

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Erza's group ran through a large rocky open field; just up ahead was a cave entrance. Blues pointed forward to signify that was their destination. "There! The Mystic Water has to be up ahead! Through that cave!"

"Finally, we're going to make it!" Juvia exclaimed with a grin. However, just before the group entered the cave, several large bullets impeded their progress from above. "Huh!?" Everyone looked up, spotting Mii standing on a cliff overhead. "M-Mii!?"

"Funny to see you all again," Mii said while twirling Purple Pot in finger. "How've you been?"

"Don't play games with us!" Meredy shouted. "Now where's the Princess! We know you have her!"

"Ah…" Mii shrugged. "Yeah, see, about that…right after you guys took that fall some handsome white coated guy showed up. Haven't you been updated at all!? Oh…right…I took your card and I doubt Cana gave you another one. You guys have been horribly out of the loop, huh? Everyone's been found but Mirajane, and the Princess is with some other enemy, and Kagura's been injured and is with Cana in card form for safe keeping. There, you're all filled in."

"Someone's been around…" Aira muttered.

"I wonder what happened to her arm…" Kuro mumbled.

"I don't think we have time to deal with her, right?" Leon asked and received collective nods.

"Yeah, see, about that…" Mii pointed Purple Pot forward once again with a slight shrug. "You see, I've been given orders not to let you pass at all. Things are so close to the end, it was stink to have the rug pulled from all these plans, you know?"

"Persistently annoying to the end…" Erza grumbled. "Everyone else, go ahead! I'll deal with her."

"Are you sure Erza-san…?" Juvia was worried without saying.

"Go!" Erza demanded with that stern tone of hers, and that was more than enough to get everyone in gear and push forward. Everyone ran into the cave and as soon as they did Mii shot the entrance, causing large boulders to block off the path.

"No one interferes, Erza-/san/," Mii grinned while leaping down a few yards away from Erza.

.

.

"She blocked it off!" Meredy grunted.

"Erza should be fine; we on the other hand, should get our asses in gear and move!" Blues took charge as everyone sprinted down the cave and finally arrived at the Mystic Water Lake. "Whoa…this actually is it! Now we can rescue those dragons!"

"There you are…" Gaius stepped forward with his arms crossed, letting out a heavy sigh. " I was wondering if you were ever going to show up. I've been waiting here bored all damn day."

"G-Gaius…!?" Juvia's eyes widened in surprise. "N-No wonder we didn't hear anything about you beforehand…you've been waiting for us…"

"That's right." Gaius grinned as flames began to flare around his body. "And now that you're here, I can finally get my meal of the day. You're not getting anywhere near that water unless it's to drown."

.

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Mii fired off several shots at Erza, though the scarlet knight easily deflected them with two blades, closing the distance between them quickly. Once close Erza aimed two back handed slashes at Mii, though the nimble traitor evaded both with ease and landed on her feet with a back flip. "Ah, ah, no touching!"

"Tch!" Erza leapt into the air, entering her Heaven's Wheel armor and summoned a good 50 swords behind her, all of them pointing at Mii. "Give it up, Mii. This is where it ends."

"Oh, I see…" Mii sighed and shook her head. "Going into the air with a fuckton of swords pointed at me trying to get the advantage…well…" The red head giggled. "I've been hiding some pretty deep secrets for two days now; I think it's time to reveal one of them to you." A white aura began to appear around Mii's body; from her back, two angelic wings sprouted and she took two the air. "See that? You're not the only one who can fly."

.

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"A messenger…?" Edna was actually clueless about this. "I'm afraid I don't understand what that means."

"The Chosen was a human…but she received a gift from the gods above. The same gods that wrote our destiny to take over the human world!" Venoma clarified. "Angelic powers were blessed onto her and we have that at our disposal."

"I also never understood why she was so important to this isle…so what she can use the Scared Gem's power? We only needed her to lower the island. She's useless to us now." Edna shrugged. "What a loser."

"There's more to it than that, Edna dear. However I don't expect you to understand…just trust in our King." Venoma nodded. "He knows what's going to happen."

.

.

"You've been hiding your power from us?" Erza questioned while pointing her sword in hand forward.

"Are you really surprised?" Mii giggled. "Everything I say and do is a lie; I'm surprised you haven't picked up on that. Yes, I'm aware I have a very compulsive lying problem. But what can you do? 23 years in and I can't stop now."

"You don't have to keep following their orders, Mii. In fact, WHY are you following their orders?" Erza genuinely wanted an answer to this.

"Honestly?" Like Mii even had the right to use that word in the first place. "I told you before I'm looking for something. They can help…and didn't I tell you before that I side with the winning team? Like a bunch of humans and maybe two dragons are going to win this battle in the long run."

"You sure flip sides a lot…" Erza grumbled.

"Oh, right! Speaking of orders…" Mii pointed her pistol at Erza. "I've been ordered to tear your arms off so you won't be a nuisance. No hard feelings, Erza-san."

.

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Next Time: Erza vs. Mii!


	53. Chapter 52: Erza vs Mii

"Oi oi!" Natsu roared out as the mages stormed the castle. As expected, Drake's dragon soldiers were swarming around the city, but that was about to change as a beeline to the castle was made. "Get out of our way! Do you hear me, Dhegensea! We're coming for you!" While shouting, the Salamander reared his arm backwards with flames flaring around his fist. "So move IT!" Natsu brought his arm down in one swift motion, an explosion of flames occur visible from the castle; the dragon soldiers flew back from such monstrous force.

"We're coming through whether you like it or not!" Gajeel extended his arm out, creating a green magic seal before him. "Iron Dragon's Lance: Demons Logs!" Several iron lances shot out from the seal, striking the soldiers that failed to block or evade them.

Suddenly, from the skies above, Adamantine dropped down; his impact creating a crater in the city while destroying a few buildings along the way. Arms crossed, staring down the weaker dragon soldiers with that cold stare of his. "Sorry I'm late…" Adam spoke as the weaker soldiers began to cower in fear at the cold aura emanating from off the dragon. "I heard what happened from Sidney."

"Adam!" White Eclipse mages were nearly jumping for joy at one of their strongest allies joining the fray.

"Speaking of Sidney…" Adam began; however before he could finish a puff of smoke appeared right in front of him. The Ghost Mage himself returned to the scene along with Zalen.

"About time you showed up." Reve shot at Sidney.

"You're all taking too long." Sidney merely replied before stepping on the ground, a magic seal forming under his foot. "Resurrection: Frankenstein." With that mumble of an incantation, a 50 foot tall cliché Frankenstein monster rose from the ground, wreaking havoc on anything that Sidney didn't deem an ally.

"You know how he is." Zalen said while adjusting his glasses. "But enough talking, shall we move forward?"

"I wouldn't prefer anything else." Adam nodded with a slow grin creeping onto his lips. "Time to show these lower dragons what real strength is all about." In order to do so, Adam merely exhaled; unleashing a powerful Ice Roar that completely decimated a large portion of the city, freezing over buildings and any unfortunate dragon soldiers that happened to be caught in its path.

While the others finally began their charge of the city, Wendy, Cynthia, Chelia, Raven, Carla, and Alex made their way into a house. With Cynthia succumbing to the infection, Chelia no longer possessing the ability to use magic….they were going to drag the others down if they tried to fight. "Here…we can rest in this place. With the others pushing forward I don't think we'll have to worry about being in danger."

"That's good…" Chelia gave a weary smile and a nod before sitting down, letting out a heavy sigh. "I can't fight anymore…so I'd only slow everyone down."

"You're the reason everyone can keep fighting right now. If not for you, we'd be stuck in ice." Raven wrapped an arm around Chelia's shoulder and gave her a smile. "Guess I'll just have to teach you how to string a bow now, huh?"

"Hehe…Yeah, I'd like that." Chelia nodded.

"Question." Alex raised her index finger. "Are you two like a thing or something…?" That question alone caused the faces of both Chelia and Raven to redden and they shook their heads while shouting "N-NO!" in unison.

"I think they're totally in love if you ask me…" Cynthia managed a painful giggle while keeping her eyes shut. "A-Ahah…"

"You've really seen better days, Sis…." Alex said with a small frown while glancing at Cynthia. "I heard what happened and just hang on, okay? I'm sure they're gonna get that water to you."

"Her temperature is through the roof…" Carla placed her hands on her lap with a worried frown. It was so bad the bed that Cynthia was lying on started to melt and the immediate area around her was sweltering. "G-Geez…it's so hot in here…"

"Cynthia please just hang on for just a little longer…" Wendy pleaded, subconsciously rubbing her injured leg.

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Two yellow flashes clashed on the ground. Jellal and Marshall were locked in close combat while using Meteor to try and outmaneuver the other. Jellal was still in shock that Marshall was capable of copying his magic but he could not stay stunned about this for too long. The two and their high speed blows were unable to get the upperhand on either of them. Eventually they flew back to gain space. "This is ridiculous…" Jellal muttered under his breath. "It's almost as if he's had this magic for years…"

Marshall merely gave Jellal a grin while clenching his fist. He then lifted his arms above his head, creating a large black sphere within his hands. "Altarius." Marshall was busting out this move, one of the strongest in Jellal's own arsenal, and without another word he hurled the sphere directly towards the sinner.

"…!" Jellal's eyes briefly widened, not having expected Marshall to pull out that move. But Jellal followed suit, his action mirroring Marshall's as he created his own Altarius sphere above his head and threw it towards the incoming one. The two spheres collided for a few seconds before collapsing on each other, a large explosion occurring in the process, kicking up a large cloud of smoke. "Meteor." Jellal whispered, using this time to take to the sky, however as soon as he escaped the cloud of smoke, Marshall was right below him. Only this time…Jellal had that knowing look about him. "Be judged by the seven stars…" That's right…right above Jellal, several seals were drawn in the sky and linked by the sinner himself.

"Be judged by the seven stars…" Marshall spoke exactly as Jellal did; it was almost like looking directly into a mirror. On the ground below Marshall, seven seals were drawn and linked by the Empyrean.

"GRAND CHARIOT!"

They both had the same idea and executed it at the exact same time. Several beams of light unleashed from the seals, colliding right in the middle with both mages caught in between. Several bright explosions occurred on the spot, consuming Jellal and Marshall. Both of them fell to the ground; Marshall landed on his stomach face down on the ground while Jellal landed on a knee, panting heavily from feeling the force of his own attack. "Ah…" He looked at Marshall, assuming his sudden attacker was finally down for the counter. "That dragged on a little longer than I would've liked…" He winced in pain while standing up, beginning to walk off. But then he heard a chomping sound. "What?"Jellal turned around, eyes widening at what he saw.

Marshall was sitting cross legged on the ground, picking up whatever was around and began stuffing it in his mouth. It didn't matter what it was, he was eating it. Dirt, mud, rocks; it all went down the hatch. From envious, to gluttonous. "Man, this is good stuff…" He mumbled as what he consumed was actually beginning to heal his injuries.

"You must be joking…" Jellal clenched his hand into a fist. This cycle was never going to end if he couldn't keep Marshall down…but then he realized he didn't have to keep Marshall down for two reasons. One: Marshall wasn't paying attention to Jellal and just kept eating. It looked like he wasn't going to stop either. Two: Jellal had more important things to do than tussle with Marshall, so with that in mind, he made a quick leave.

Marshall just kept eating the dirt without a care in the world…until Hubert's boot smacked the back of his head and put him into the ground. Immediately Marshall hopped up with a growl. "What the hell!?"

"You were in Glutton Mode." Hubert merely responded while adjusting his glasses. He was accompanied by Nina, Julia, and Cecelia, who wore a sly smile on her lips.

"This isle has many fascinating mages on it…" Cecelia remarked with a coo. "It's a shame I didn't get the chance to bother any of them, I would've loved to see how they fared. Speaking of…who was that man who just left? He looked quite familiar?"

"Oh, him?" Marshall scoffed while rubbing the back of his head, bringing himself up to his feet. "Think that was Jellal. Y'know, the one Kaiho has been looking into."

"What are the chances you'd run into him…" Julia replied while rubbing her arm.

"Wish I got to fight him…" Nina sighed.

"Perhaps next time." Hubert adjusted his glasses before leading the way back to the ship they arrived on. "But for now, it's time for us to leave. I'd rather not be around when this island is sent to hell."

"Don't act like you're the top dog here, Hubert." Marshall scoffed once again, though he did follow everyone else back to the ship. The mysterious Empyrean Dawn was gone for now…

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.

"We finish this." Erza stated before sending all 50 of her swords flying towards the airborne Mii. There was no remorse in the action as all of her blades intended to impale and skewer Mii in some way.

"I couldn't agree more!" Mii nodded before raising her hand, several feathers spawning off her angelic wings. "Angel Feathers!" These feathers flew forward and multiplied by the second, clashing with Erza's swords before canceling each other out. Erza used this time to fly in and close the gap between then; aiming several slashes that Mii nimbly avoided. "Ah, what did I tell you before? No touching!" Erza grunted and continued her slashes, finally catching Mii off guard with a diagonal slash right along her chest; such a slash had intent to seriously injure. Blood immediately poured from the wound and began to stain Mii's one strap dress. "…!" Mii froze for a second, having Erza believe that was already the end of it. The red head then tilted her head down with a smile. "Did you think that was it?"

"What…!?" Erza was surprised Mii didn't even so much as flinch from such a deep wound. Her shock allowed Mii to land a roundhouse kick to her head, sending her spiraling backwards. Mii's lower body strength was amazing and Erza was now experiencing this first hand.

"Bang bang~" Mii cooed while clicking the trigger of her pistol, releasing several large emerald bullets towards Erza in rapid succession.

Erza flipped and regained her aerial mobility, just in time as Mii released her bullets. Erza's grip on the blades in her hand as she flew forward, slashing through the bullets one by one with relative ease. She then took to the air above Mii as a heavenly glow wrapped around her body; Erza descended in her Giant's armor with her fist reared back, swinging it down at Mii with monstrous force and momentum behind her. "HA!"

"Woah!" Mii crossed her arms as Erza slammed her fist into Mii. The force was so incredible a shockwave boomed out and Mii was thrown towards the rocky ground, a small 'boom' occurring as a large cloud of smoke formed around her.

Erza landed on the ground, shifting to her Flight Armor in the event Mii retaliated instantly. She was dual wielding the lance from her Lightning Empress Armor and her Aqua Sword from the Aqua Empress Armor "…"

"G-Geez…" Mii rubbed her head, coughing as some dust got in her lungs. "With force like that, I swear you're actually trying to kill me." Standing up, the traitor dusted herself off and stood up straight. Despite the hits she took, she was standing just fine.

"How…" Erza began; however before she could finish a large explosion of flames occurred from the Mystic Water Lake. "…!?" Erza sensed it. A life force just faded away…and it worried her because she didn't know who it was.

"Oooh…" Mii bit her lip and shook her head. "Looks like Gaius just eradicated someone over there…" Giving a shrug, she turned her attention back on Erza. She dropped her pistol in favor of Dragon Hadlar, pointing the double shotgun at Erza. "Too bad about that. But you should be focused on me." With the click of the trigger, a massive bullet shot out of the barrel, taking the form of a beam-like explosion that utterly destroyed the terrain it traveled across.

Erza used the speed of her Flight Armor to avoid the massive explosion, though just narrowly. She then aimed to close the gap between them once again while crossing her weapons before her. "Sonic Claw!" Once passing Mii, she struck with the Aqua sword first before striking with the Lightning Lance, doubling the damage dealt due to the water conducting the electricity. Mii's body went into literal shock for a few seconds as Erza slid past her. Erza turned to see how Mii handled that attack.

"You're ruining my dress…" Mii finally commented while turning around, sparks dancing around her body. "I don't ruin your clothes, do I!?"

"What on earth…" Erza couldn't believe this! No matter what she threw at Mii it was like she wasn't doing any damage! It was almost as if… "Wait a moment…Mii…" Erza's mind then flashed back to Mii's battle with Gaia on their first trip. Mii got hit pretty hard several times and shrugged them all off with ease. "I thought you just had high endurance at first, but this clearly goes beyond that…do you…do you not feel pain?"

"Ding ding!" Mii replied with a grin. "You finally figured it out! Don't feel pain. Never have, never will. Who needs it? It's kind of a drag, don't you agree? I mean, if I broke your leg you'd stop walking. If you broke mine, I wouldn't care!"

"You think pain is just an inconvenience…?" Erza questioned.

"It brings people down. But I don't want to feel pain." Mii's voice briefly grew a little somber before shaking her head. "But enough about that." Mii sped forward and swung her boot at Erza's chin, sending Erza right into the air. Mii flapped her angelic wings once and took off after Erza only to soar higher than her, pulling Dragon Hadlar apart into two separate guns and began unleashing a storm of bullets down at Erza. "Extensions!"

"Agh…!" Erza caught herself once again, flipping into her Adamantine armor. The bullets bounced harmlessly off her shields, but that was about to change.

"Tiger Stance!" Mii yelled from above, slamming her boots onto Erza's shield to force Erza back to the ground. This was only the beginning as Mii continuously stomped on Erza's shields with her surprising amount of physical strength, slowly beginning to chip away at the scarlet knight's defenses. It wasn't long before Erza's back hit the ground and her Adamantine armor was starting to be reduced to nothing. Erza had no choice but to save her armor for later and take the full force of Mii's stomps, letting out several cries of pain in the process. Eventually, Mii finally stopped and sat on Erza's stomach, pulling the knight's arms above her head slowly, though the force was incredibly strong. Mii was really planning to rip Erza's arms off.

"W-What are you…!?" Erza tried to wrestle her way out of his position; however…though Mii was slim and had a nice figure, she was a lot heavier than she looked. "M-Mii…!?"

"I told you, didn't I? I'm here to rip off your arms." Mii stated in a blunt tone. "Truth be told, I've been waiting for this ever since you ditched the Tower of Heaven."

Hearing those words made Erza's eye widen. "Y-You were at the tower…!?"

"Of course…" Mii paused, almost as if she couldn't quite remember. "I didn't expect you to remember me, considering you up and left. What a surprise that over a decade later I'd find you going to the same place I was looking for: The isle of the Dragons. You even brought your friend Jellal as well…I might do the same thing to him!" As Mii spoke, she began tugging harder, causing Erza to let out another cry of pain. "Your screams are nice, they kinda turn me on." Mii admitted with a sinister grin.

It was odd for Erza…she would've remember Mii. And even if she didn't when Jellal laid eyes on Mii he should've recognized her regretfully. There was no memory of Mii within Erza or Jellal, but Mii seemed to hold some sort of hatred for them. At the same time…Erza could tell it wasn't true hatred….there was something going on that perhaps maybe even Mii was unaware of…or was she…? Erza didn't have time to think about these questions as Mii was actually getting closer and closer to not only breaking but removing her arms. "M-Mii…! W-Wait…!"

"Orders are orders." Mii replied with almost a sad tone as she tugged even harder. A second more and that would've been the end for Erza…but thankfully that was far from the case. Someone intervened, a fist slammed right into Mii's face, forcibly removing her from Erza. Mii tumbled along the ground for a few seconds before catching herself on her feet, glaring forward to see who had the audacity to interfere. "Who the hell…?!" And once seeing who it was, she tilted her head curiously while placing her hands on her hip. "Oh…so you are still alive."

"Wha…" Erza was in a bit of a daze. Blinking once, she looked up to see who it was that came to her rescue, only for her jaw to drop in shock as a small grin stretched along her lips.

"I'm glad I made it in time…" An injured Mirajane said while reverting from her Satan Soul. A soft smile graced the demoness' lips as she placed a hand on her gravely injured side, which was bleeding profusely. Looking over her shoulder at Erza, she nodded slowly. "Are you okay, Erza?"

.

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Next Time: Pain.


	54. Chapter 53: Pain

"So…you're still alive after all…" Mii said while rubbing the back of her gloved hand on her lip. "That's a little surprising, considering Nasir was almost certain he killed you."

"He almost did." Mira admitted, wincing noticeably from her injured side. "But I made a promise to my siblings that I wouldn't die until I saw them again…S-So here I am…saving Erza in the nick of time."

"Oh, I get it!" Mii clapped her hands together. "Hanging on by a thread, are we? Makes sense just looking at you. You've been walking around with an open wound for who knows how long and you look like you're going to pass out any second. It's a miracle you're still on your own two feet."

"Mira…" Erza stood up, looking over at Mirajane worriedly. "Don't push yourself..!"

"And we come back to my main point once again." Mii said while twirling Purple Pot around her index finger once again. "Pain is nothing but bad. If she couldn't feel pain I'm sure I'd be in a worse situation right now, buuuut…because she's got such a grievous wound, and I roughed up Erza a little bit…it's looking quite in my favor, don't you agree?"

"You still don't understand a damn thing, don't you…?" Erza grit her teeth, another light wrapping around her body as she wore nothing but cloth around her breasts and the pants, now bringing forth her Demon Blade: Crimson Sakura. She stabbed the powerful sword into the ground to use it as support to stand up before holding it towards Mii. "Though we might not like Pain, it's a wonderful thing…"

As soon as Erza finished speaking Mii shot a small, piercing bullet that went right through Erza's shoulder. The shout of pain Erza let out was loud and it caused Mii to merely shake her head. "Pain is a wonderful thing, huh? That didn't sound wonderful to me. Sounded like you couldn't take another one of those."

"E-Erza…!" Mira grit her teeth before a magic seal appeared over her, once again entering her Satan Soul. She then flew towards Mii with a bit of a slow start as she pulled her arm back with darkness magic swirling around it.

"You my friend are in no condition to be moving!" Mii waited for Mirajane to get close before leaning away from the incoming punch; pivoting on her heel, she slammed her opposite leg into Mira's injured side, causing a yelp to escape the demoness as she tumbled away harshly on the rocky plain. Mii kept her boot pointed out only to unleash a few bullets from the tip of her heel at Mira.

"W-What part of this woman isn't a weapon…?" Mira groaned while bracing for impact.

"Hyah!" Luckily for Mira, Erza intervened at the last second and slashed the bullets out of the air before falling back to a knee. "Ugh…"

"You still thinking pain is the best thing in the world over here?" Mii questioned with a tilt of her head. "I can keep this up for the rest of the night, but I don't think you two will be able to."

"You say you've never felt pain before…" Erza began while looking at the bandage around Mii's arm. "But it looks like you've experienced some on your way here today…"

"Ah…" Mii rubbed her arm briefly before shrugging it off. "I told that girl it didn't even hurt, but she ignored me and wrapped this around me anyway. Of course if those stupid kids didn't get involved so recklessly it wouldn't have been needed…"

"So you do have a heart in there somewhere…" Mira smirked slightly before standing on her own two feet once again. "I still don't understand why you choose to ignore pain…yes it's inconvenient but…"

"I'm not choosing to ignore it!" Mii pointed Dragon Hadlar at the two Fairy Tail S classes this time, unleashing an explosive burst that nearly caught them. Erza and Mira were forced into different directions, both having a hard landing. Mira was forced out of Satan Soul and laid on her stomach while Erza was on her back. "See, I'm enjoying watching your reactions to it. Doesn't look too good, does it? Tell me what's so good about this pain you're feeling?"

"It looks like you still don't understand…" A weary Erza said while making way to her feet, teetering from side to side as she tried to keep her balance. "The wonderful thing about pain…" She gripped her blade tightly before lunging forward in an all or nothing motion. She was going to end this battle right here. "Is that it lets us know that we're alive!"

"I don't understand you." Mii huffed while taking steady aim with Purple Pot…which was interrupted by a magic seal appearing behind her, pushing her forward to completely throw off her aim and balance. "Guh…!?"

"But the thing about the pain you want to inflict on us…" Mira forced herself into Satan Soul once last time, flying forward towards Mii with all her strength as darkness magic formed along the length of her arm. "Is that…"

"This isn't even worthy…" Erza shouted as she raised her blade up.

"Of being called…" Mira continued.

"PAIN!" The two females exclaimed in unison as they sped past Mii, simultaneously unleashing their attacks towards her. Erza's slash cut deep while Mira's magic pierced right through the traitor. The ended up on opposite sides of each other as Mii stood there with widened eyes before she was caught in the middle of a sudden eruption of overflowing power. "And with pain…comes compassion…which is what we have as humans." Erza said before collapsing onto her hands and knees, sword fading away for the time being.

"Ugh…" Mira was finally kicked out of Satan Soul for the last time, falling onto her back while looking up at the night sky. "Nothing can stop us, huh?"

"Wow." Mii said as the dust cleared, panting softly only from magic usage. "That was almost bad…" Just the fact that Mii looked fine despite their attacks caused Erza and Mira's eyes to widen, however Mii didn't take this chance to attack them. Instead she flapped her beat up wings and took to the air, looking down at the two of them. "Congrats, you passed the test. Listen, I know things are being cut kind of close…but you should really get inside the palace and get that Eternal Sword. Bet you forgot about that, huh? Dhegensea's been making a fuss about it for the last few hours…"

"What…?" Erza blinked confusedly at Mii's words.

"Also, there's one more thing I have to mention to you. These dragons? It won't do just to knock them out. You have to kill them, otherwise when they awaken they'll return with an insatiable bloodlust. Do you hear me? You HAVE to kill them." With those words in mind, Mii raised her hand and a bright light shrouded both Mira and Erza, healing their major wounds to some extent. "There we go…"

"Mii, what is the meaning of this…?" Mirajane questioned.

"I told you before, didn't I? I only side with the winning side." With that, Mii flew off.

"The way she keeps playing…I don't think there will be a winning side…" Mira mumbled while rubbing her less injured side. The injury was still bad but at least she wasn't going to bleed out now. "What do we do…?"

"We can't wait for the others…we'll just have to advance on our own. Something tells me we don't have to worry about them, though…" While Erza said this, she couldn't shake the ominous feeling from Juvia's group fighting Gaius.

.

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"Everything's almost coming together…" Mii told herself with a slight grin on her lips. "Just a little longer…" And suddenly, her flight was derailed and she almost fell out of the sky, but she managed to recover in the nick of time. "S-Shit…" She hissed in…pain. For a few seconds, she felt all of her injuries from within the past 24 hours before her body became numb to the sensation again. "Just…a little longer…" She repeated, though this time it was to her own body than aloud.

.

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[Mystic Water Lake just before the initial Erza vs. Mii]

"So…" Gaius cracked his knuckles, grinning at Juvia's group while eying them individually; the fiery aura around him intensifying. "Which one of you tasty morsels wants to be first? I'll make it quick and painless."

"Fire dragon?" Blues asked Juvia, who gave a quick nod. "Great…in that case…we'll take you instead!" With that exclamation, Blues and Kuro, the Dragon God Duo, lunged forward with two spheres of dense water forming within their palms. "Blue Dragon's Bomb!"

"Water God's Bomb!" Kuro exclaimed along with Blues. The two slayers thrusted their explosives spheres at Gaius' chest in unison, a large explosion of water occurring on the spot, kicking up some steam due to the aura around Gaius.

"Guh…!" Gaius slid back from Kuro and Blues' consecutive attacks, letting out a minor grunt of pain before stopping his momentum, facing the two with a hungry grin. "You two will be first! Flame Spiral!" With a quick swipe of his hand, a spiral of flames erupted upon Kuro and Blues and they let out minor cries of pain, though it didn't take long for either of them to disperse the spiral of flames with their own magic.

"Water Cane!" While Gaius was distracted dealing with the Dragon God Duo, Juvia started whipping her arm forward as it turned into water, slashing Gaius with it multiple times to keep him busy so the others could strike. "Go, now!"

"We're on it!" Aira nodded while preparing to strike alongside Leon.

"Acid Dragon's…" Leon began inhaling before suddenly lurching forward while unleashing a gigantic beam of destruction in the form of acid that traveled towards Gaius. The beam was double the size of a regular dragon slayer roar. "WAVE!"

"You won't stop me!" Gaius grinned and held up his forearm to block Leon's attack. Though that was his mistake in underestimating the acid dragon; the Acid Dragon's Wave actually burned him and forced him to slide backwards several yards, growling lowly in pain.

Just as the Acid Dragon's Wave came to a close, Aira came in with her arms crossed over her head. "Great Cross Clash!" The Eclipse mage exclaimed while speeding past Gaius, uncrossing her arms in the process. Two blades of wind immediately slashed Gaius in an X formation, forcing the fire dragon into a stumble.

"Magulity Sodum!" Meredy followed suit by raising her hand, creating a plethora of cyan blades before her, launching all of them forward. Each and every single blade impaled Gaius, and while they didn't do any physical damage, they struck the Dragon's sense of pain directly.

"Gwah!" Gaius let out yet another roar of pain before freezing in place….he then tilted his head down with that same grin as before. "…Don't tell me that's all you got."

"D-Did our attacks really not do anything to him….!?" Juvia gasped while taking a step back.

"Now then…it's my turn." Gaius allowed flames to wrap around his body once again. Within a second he was off, holding his fist low to the ground while approaching Aira fist. He swung his fist upwards as she attempted to defend against the blow, but the fiery explosion and impact lifted her off her feet and sent her tumbling along the charred grass with a pained yelp.

"Aira!" Leon cried out worriedly for the wind mage. With a low growl, a green aura exploded from around him suddenly as he activated his Acid Drive. "You'll pay for that one." Leon glared towards Gaius before lunging at him with acid covering his fist. "Acid Dragon's Steel Fist!" Thrusting his fist forward, Leon aimed for Gaius' face…but the fire dragon caught it with ease, not even sliding back from impact this time. "…!"

"Sit down, Dragon Slayer." Gaius said while rearing his flame covered fist back before hurling it at Leon's face; the impact was so strong Leon was forced from Gaius' own grip and flew back until hitting the castle's wall, creating a dent in it.

"Dragon God's…!" Blues and Kuro began to perform an up close and personal unison raid in Gaius' face, however Gaius merely turned and consumed the both of them within a Fire Roar, blowing both of them back with incredible force, leaving them on the ground with burns along their skin.

"Blues-san! Kuro-san!" Juvia's eyes widened at how quickly the tables were turning. She had no time to worry about others as Gaius was closing the distance between them.

"Fire Claw!" Gaius exclaimed while swinging his leg at Juvia's side. It was a blocked hit, but because Juvia's body was composed of water the high temperature caused her to boil and let out a minor scream of pain while skidding to the side.

Fighting against the pain, Juvia quickly extended her free hand out, unleashing a massive beam of water towards Gaius to gain some space. "Water Beam!" And to her surprise the beam evaporated the instant it struck Gaius due to the heat his body was giving off. "…!"

"Flame Rush!" Gaius then shoulder tackled Juvia with flames all around his body. The water mage let out another yelp of pain as she crashed into Meredy, the two of them suddenly combusting into flames to add onto the damage.

"AH!" Meredy cried out while lying on the ground, panting heavily from the damage taken. She propped herself on her elbows, keeping one eye held shut while staring at Gaius. "He's so strong…was he this powerful last time you faced off against him…?"

"Last time Natsu-san and Gray-sama fought him and did rather well…" Juvia said while bringing herself to her feet.

"Last time I was holding back…but this time…there is no mercy!" Gaius leapt into the air, red wings spreading from his back. "Heatwave!" With several flames of his wings, an intense wave of heat and flames rained down on the mages below; they were unable to do anything against the pressure of the flames and were forced to take the full force of the energy draining attack, only letting out groans of pain in the process. When Gaius was done, he landed and crossed his arms, looking at the damage he dealt to the humans. "My, is this all you can truly do!? How pathetic."

"T-This dragon is really strong…" Aira gasped while lifting herself up.

"We have to be stronger…" Leon remarked with a low growl.

"Ngh…" Blues grunted and placed his hands on the scorched grass, staring at the sparkling Mystic Water Lake. "We're right there….come on guys, they're counting on us…"

"Oh yes…" It just now clicked for Gaius. "You're water mages…it only makes sense you'd try to harness the power of the Mystic Water…but you should know, the water is pure, and it would never accept such vermin as you."

"v-Vermin…?" Kuro growled at being called such a term.

"We're…going to save the dragons…and Cynthia…!" Juvia heavily panted while struggling to stand up. "So we can't let you beat us…! Juvia won't…Juvia won't let anyone else be needlessly hurt! So I need that water…and I'll push through you to get through it!"

In that instant, Kuro felt Juvia resonate with the Mystic Water. It was then that he knew. "…"

"It's a shame you'll never come to reach those goals again." Gaius held his hand up, creating a gigantic blaze within his palm, pointing it directly towards the water mages. "Inferno Blitz." He clenched his hand, causing the large blaze to turn into a tiny fireball…which then released into a gigantic wave of flames that raced directly towards the water mages with nothing in its way to stop it.

"Look out!" Aira cried.

Kuro stood up as quickly as his body would allow him, jumping in front of Juvia and Blues while spreading his arms out. "Water God's Wall!" A wall of thick black water appeared before Kuro, shielding him from the flames, but it wasn't going to be for long. "Blues! I'm leaving the rest up to you now…whatever you do; make sure you get that water to those that need it!"

"K-Kuro, what are you saying!?" Blues' eyes widened. "We're going to get through this together!"

"My time is up, old friend." Kuro turned to look over his shoulder, giving Blues a smile. "Now move!"

"K-Kuro-san!?" Juvia had a hard time wrapping her head around this sudden change in events.

"Damn it!" Blues wailed while quickly moving Juvia out of the immediate range of the attack. In that moment, he could see Kuro's water wall failing to hold together and finally broke through. The flames began to consume and incinerate the Water God slayer in what seemed like slow motion. Kuro flashed Blues one more smile before he was completely consumed by the explosion of flames that was visible from a distance.

[Flashback]

A young Blues wandered around aimlessly after the disappearance of his dragon, Aquareon. After days of hopeless searching, he finally found a tree to sit under and brought his arms around his knees, placing his head down before crying softly. "Where did you go…why did you leave…? I miss you, Dad…."

"Hey…" A young Kuro Chi poked his head from around another tree, approaching Blues with a frown. "What's wrong…? Why are you sad…?"

"I can't find my dad…" Blues replied with a sniffle, looking up at Kuro with tears rolling down his cheeks.

"T-That's no good…" Kuro's frown grew deeper. "I know what it's like to lose a family member…I lost everyone I cared for, actually…" Suddenly, his frown turned into a hateful stare. "Flames of a god destroyed my village…I can still hear that insane laugh whenever I think about it…and I promised to destroy him whenever I saw him again…" He then turned to look at Blues, somewhat making a decision already. "U-Uhm I'll help you find your dad…! W-What's he look like…?"

"He's a blue dragon…" Blues replied.

"O-Oh…" This is where Blues expected Kuro to be deterred, but instead he just nodded. "Okay, I'll help you! I'm Kuro Chi, Water God Slayer…!"

Blues' eyes lit up in happiness with Kuro agreeing to assist him. Nodding, Blues extended his hand to vigorously shake Kuro's. "I'm Blues! Water Dragon Slayer…! But I prefer Blue Dragon. A-Anyway, thanks a bunch, Kuro! And you know what…I'll help you find that Flame God Slayer! We can beat him together."

"A Dragon Slayer and a God Slayer working together…" Kuro chuckled a little at the thought. "We need a cool name…"

"Uh…" Blues crossed his arms. "Oh I got it! The Dragon God Duo!"

[End Flashback]

"KURRRRROOOOO!" Blues cried as tears ran down his cheeks at his brother's death.

"N-No way…" Meredy covered her mouth with her hands, eyes beginning to water at Kuro's sacrifice.

"HAHAHHAHA!" Gaius let out a hearty laugh as Kuro was literally burnt to ash. "Is this what you can human compassion? Volunteering to be the first to die?"

Blues' tears stopped as he glared at Gaius, growling feral as he mocked Kuro's sacrifice. "You bastard….are you mocking his last moments?! I'LL KILL YOU!" With a loud roar, a blue aura exploded around Blues as he entered Dragon Force, blue scales beginning to cover his body. Blues darted forward with incredible speed while rearing his arm back, a large orb of water covering the entire limb. "DAMN YOOOOU!" Blues swung the powerful blow at Gaius' face, only managing to snap the dragon's head to the side, and force him back a few yards.

"This is why humans are weak. They are blinded by their emotions when something happens." Gaius immediately retaliated with his own punch at Blues' sternum after closing the gap between them, a fierce wave of flame following the impact to send Blues flying backwards.

"How dare you mock human emotion!" For once, Aira was getting angry. The wind began to pick up and dark blue markings began to form along her body in lines, the sign of her Infinite Healing spells. A visible blue aura emitted from her body and large blue orbs surrounded Gaius; Aira held her arm out and closed her hand to gain control of the orbs, allowing them to explode almost instantaneously. "Secret Art: Raging Collapse!"

Leon had an immediate follow up, forming two glowing spheres of acid within both hands. "Acid Dragon's Corroding Missile!" Leon threw of these spheres at Gaius, not even allowing him a moment of rest. Green explosions occurred on the spot while the two Eclipse mages panted heavily.

"You humans…" Gaius growled while stepping from the smoke; his outfit was basically ruined and his body was covered in acid burns and various bruises. "You're making me very angry…" Not another word escaped him as several cyan blades surrounded him in a cone-formation, all of them impaling him to strike his sense of pain, only this time they remained inside him to make him sensitive to the very wind blowing. "What?!"

"Juvia! Now!" Meredy exclaimed.

"Hai! Juvia nodded and faced Gaius with a glare. "Mocking love is the worst thing anyone can do…and Juvia intends to make you pay for it…!" Holding up her hand, the water mage conjured up a large cyclone of water within her palm all before throwing it forward, creating a gigantic tidal wave that rushed directly towards Gaius with full intent to drown him. "Water NEBULA!" The water completely consumed Gaius who let out a gurgled roar. All seemed to have been well at last until flames reduced Juvia's attack to steam; flying forward, Gaius wrapped his flaming hand around Juvia's throat and flew into the sky as she began to boil, letting out a choked cry of pain. "Agh….!"

"Juvia…!"

"You know. You're probably the most annoying one here…I wish you died first instead. But that can be arranged now." Gaius expelled the flames from his hand to completely cover Juvia's body. The water mage let out a scream while trying to free herself from his grip, but it was over before it started and her body just fell limp. "There." And then he just discarded Juvia like trash and let her fall into the Mystic Water Lake, where she began to sink. Gaius then landed on the ground, dusting his hands off. "So, who wants to be next? That's already two down."

Juvia was barely hanging onto consciousness. Everything was fading to black but all she could see was water…and all she could hear were the muffled sounds of explosions above. Gaius was too strong for all of them in their worn out condition, plus they were running out of time. Things were looking bad, especially for Juvia as she sank deeper and deeper into the lake, finding it hard to breathe what little she could. "Juvia is…sorry…Gray-sama…Mizu…" Her thoughts started to drift off as her eyes closed.

[Flashback]

"Wait…!" A weak cry caused Juvia to halt in her tracks before she could latch onto Gray's side. She turned along with Dhegensea, Ena, and Kurthnaga. The white haired boy she saw from before slowly limped towards them.

"Mizu!?" Ena rushed over to him, but he stopped just before Juvia.

"You're the boy Juvia saw earlier…" Juvia commented. "You're hurt…from the water poisoning, yes…?"

"You're a water mage…right…?" Mizu coughed, staring up at Juvia. "Please…save my parents…"

"I…" Juvia's eyes widened at such a request. Before she could ask anymore Mizu fell over into Ena's arms. "Juvia will…Juvia promises."

"Juvia, hurry up! We're going to leave you behind!" Gray exclaimed from afar.

"O-Oh! Juvia is coming, Gray-sama!" With that she hurried off to catch up to Gray. "A water dragonling wishing for Juvia's help…I won't let you down, Mizu."

[End Flashback]

That's right…that young dragon boy asked specifically for Juvia's help…and she hadn't seen him ever since they had to escape. Juvia wasn't sure what became of him…maybe the worst. But his parents were likely forced into their dragon states, and she was asked to save them. The last thing Juvia wanted to go back on was her word…and what would Gray think if she failed to help everyone when they needed it the most. No…she couldn't have that happen. She had to overcome this…she was going to overcome this. Eyes snapped open as she knew exactly what it was she had to do.

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Blues, Leon, Aira, and Meredy were down to their knees at the might of Gaius, who just wore a smug grin. "Even after all that boasting, you're still down? This is why humans are looked down on, they're all talk! Every single one of 'em!"

"This isn't looking too good…" Meredy grunted.

"Now then…I'll just remove the rest of you all at once. I'm tired of these annoyances." Gaius raised his hand up for a finishing blow, but stopped when the Mystic Water Lake exploded from behind him. "W-what the hell!?"

"Is that…?" Aira started.

Juvia was standing on the water, though her appearance was completely different. The legendary Mystic Water was absorbed into her being, and as a result her skin began to give off a florescent rainbow glow that sparkled brilliantly even in the night. "Kuro-san's act was an act of sacrifice for love…Juvia will not let you step on that. And Juvia most certainly will not go back on her word!" Juvia whipped her arm forward once, unleashing a powerful beam of sparkling water that struck Gaius and sent him soaring into the sky; it was in that moment that the fire dragon's eyes widened in surprise…and fear.

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Next Time: Aquatic Devotion


	55. Chapter 54: Aquatic Devotion

[Flashback]

"I've told you before that the one to destroy humanity will be me. I won't allow you to stand in the way of that. The world has rejected me, therefore it shall be I that destroys it, do you understand?" Zeref told Dhegensea with a serious glare.

"You shall be the one to destroy humanity?" Dhegensea merely scoffed at this fact. "That's a little humorous if I do say so myself. Humanity has already nearly met its end once, and not by your hands, Black Wizard. I'm sure you call the incident with that woman and the mirror 400 years ago…and how that very woman nearly brought about the end of humanity on her own. What was her name again? A human so powerful the gods and the Celestial Spirit King had to seal her away. I believe it started with a V. Verona…."

"That incident matters not now." Zeref replied. "What matters now is the soon to come extinction of humanity by my hand."

"We'll see what occurs first, Zeref. A mistake from the past cannot be so easily erased." Dhegensea merely nodded. "It won't matter once I take my place as ruler of humans…" This conversation was not the most recent one; far from it. This was one the two carried out whenever they met, which was a rarity in itself…but Dhegensea could not help but think back on it with the most recent encounter. Humans could be dangerous creatures as this 'Verona' woman once proved many years ago…

[End Flashback]

"Those humans are getting rather loud out there…" Eizen sighed while looking outside, glancing at the destruction within the city. It was starting to get closer and closer to the castle, which meant the final battles were rapidly approaching.

"I'm tired of sitting around doing nothing!" Drake exclaimed. "These humans have gone on for long enough! King Dhegensea, I request your permission to finally put them to rest before they even step foot in here once again!"

"I agree, it's pretty boring sitting and frankly these humans are a little too cheeky for their own good. I just want to step on them." Edna said while tapping her foot impatiently on the ground. "Can we just end this already?"

"My liege, it's probably for the best now that things are getting close to the end." Nasir bowed.

"Very well." Dhegensea nodded. "My fellow dragons…use your entire might to crush the humans underfoot!"

.

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Time until Etherion Fires: 30 minutes.

Juvia stood on the Mystic Water Lake while glaring up towards Gaius, who was staring at her with a look of shock and disbelief. The others couldn't believe it either; Juvia absorbed some of the Mystic Water into her very being for an exponential power boost. "T-This shouldn't be possible! H-How could you…?!" Gaius was tripping his own words. "The Mystic Water shouldn't be inside the vessel of an impure being…! Especially a human!"

The water mage took a few steps forward onto land before shaking her head. "Shut up." Juvia said while throwing her arm into the air, forming her water whip, only this time she wrapped it around Gaius' waist and tugged him down forcefully to her while her other hand surrounded in sparkling water. Once Gaius was pulled in close Juvia swung her fist at Gaius' cheek, a massive explosion of water occurring that sent Gaius flying back into the castle wall.

"Holy shit…!" Blues let that curse slip out due to the surprise.

"That power…!" Aira gasped.

"It's incredible…" Leon said in complete awe.

"C-Can she beat him…?" Meredy questioned the others with a glint of hope.

"Flame Roar!" Gaius threw his head forward and opened his mouth, unleashing a gigantic funnel of flames towards Juvia with the intent to evaporate her. Juvia had other plans in mind.

As the funnel of flames raced towards Juvia, she merely threw her hand forward. The funnel of flames struck her open palm, and in one shift movement she completely doused the flames and Gaius' mouth as a result. "Juvia doesn't want to hear another word from you unless it's begging for forgiveness…and even then Juvia still doesn't want to hear it."

"RAAAAAH!" Gaius roared out in frustration, lunging forward while lighting his wings flame. "Wing Slash!" His speed was far too great for Juvia to evade so she ended up taking the hit directly in the stomach, boiling noises occurring as she tumbled along the ground.

"J-Juvia…!" Meredy cried out.

"Juvia…is fine…" Juvia replied while standing right back up, shaking off the burn damage and impact. She then extended her hand, unleashing countless strikes of her Water Whip on Gaius who had no choice to defend from the rapid strikes of boiling hot water. Once Juvia decided she had enough of that, she whipped her arm back and swiped the other once forward, sending enlarged scythes of sparkling water towards Gaius. "Water Slicer!"

"Gwwaaaaaah!" Gaius let out yet another roar of pain as he was forced to endure each Water Slicer that struck, sliding across the ground with each successful strike. Eventually, Gaius fell to a knee, panting heavily after. "Guh…"

"She's got him on the ropes!" Aira exclaimed jovially.

"Finish him off…!" Blues pleaded.

"Hai." Juvia nodded, taking a single step forward before an odd sensation struck her entire body. "Ah…!?" Eyes widened for a split second and Juvia suddenly fell to a knee, then to all fours, panting heavily as sparks began to dance wildly around her body. The water mage let out an agonizing scream as she felt her very being torn apart from the inside.

"W-What's wrong!?" Leon asked.

"She was fine just a second ago…!" Meredy gasped. "Juvia! Are you okay!?"

"Heh…" A smirk crossed Gaius' lips as he stood back up and began to walk, though with a bit of a limp. "Finally…I thought it odd the Mystic Water would be accepted into the vessel of a human with little to no problems…and now we've finally arrived at the end of your ride. The Mystic Water is rejecting your body, human, for it is too impure."

.

.

"We've got a small problem…" Freed said with a small grunt. He was sweating and looked like he was straining a little bit.

"What's wrong, Freed…!?" Evergreen asked worriedly. "Are you okay!?"

"I think I've hit my limit…I can't sustain the barrier for much longer…!" Freed grunted. A look around the city and there were many dragon soldiers colliding against the barrier in attempt to shatter it, and there were many cracks spreading along the barrier. A few more attacks later and the entire barrier around the island shattered and Freed practically flew back, losing consciousness almost instantly.

"Shit, Freed!" Bickslow shouted. "We've a problem! The barrier's down!" And to make matters even worse, the wind suddenly kicked up, likely due to Nasir catching wind of the barrier breaking. The dragon soldiers expelled their wings and rode the wind current to get off the isle and fly towards the mainland.

"Don't let a single one of them get out!" Jura shouted while releasing several rocks in all the dragon's directions, but there was no stopping them now.

"I will not allow a single one to escape." Joker pointed his hand forward, shifting it into the rocket launcher that unleashed heat seeking missiles towards the dragons. While some hit, the others managed to evade and fly off. "Tch…!"

"Targeting system isn't entirely restored yet…" Ace grit his teeth while using his Vulcan gun in attempt to stall some of the soldiers flying, but it was hardly effective from so far below.

"Oh no…!" Lucy shouted. Though any and all worries were shot down…literally. A gigantic emerald beam shot out from the mainland, taking out any and all soldiers that attempted to make their way off the island. "W-Whoa! What was that?!"

"That was the Jupiter Cannon…" Gajeel recognized that beam from anywhere.

"Was that Bisca?!" Cana exclaimed.

.

.

Back in Fiore, Bisca was wearing a large grin on her lips after having successfully shot down a whole squadron of dragons attempting to approach the mainland. "Stay where you belong!" She spotted another group trying, and they met the same fate. A gigantic beam shot forth from the Jupiter Cannon and took them out too. This was Bisca's way of telling the others they had nothing to worry about as long as she was manning the cannon.

.

.

"Looks like the First was ready in the event the barrier broke…!" Lucy clasped her hands together.

"That's nothing impressive." Reve scoffed. "I could make a better shot like that with my eyes closed."

"Reve, this isn't the time to be jealous that you aren't the one manning the giant toy guy over there," Heather rolled her eyes at Reve's competitive nature.

"We don't have to worry about any dragon getting off this island then!" Natsu's grin only widened as the distance to the castle was closing rapidly. He was only stopped when a crystal wall rose in front of him and he comically slammed into it. "Oof…!"

"Natsu, are you okay!?" Happy questioned while looking at the stunned Natsu.

"Are these…crystals…?" Selene quirked a brow at the material before her.

"Great, she's back…" Heather scoffed.

Edna stood atop the crystal wall, tapping her foot with a sly grin on her lips. "Finally, you losers made it. But you're making quite the ruckus here…we don't go onto your home and start wrecking everything, do we?"

"Having déjà vu here…" Cygnus said while rubbing his head. "Either way, that's what you're PLANNING to do anyway! So it doesn't matter!"

"Get out of the way!" Natsu demanded.

"Keep moving. We'll take care of this one." Luke stepped forward. "Some of the other guilds stayed behind to deal with any stragglers, so the least we can do is help make a clear path, right?"

"Not like we'll be missing out on the action. Tired of your Fairies always taking the spotlight." Waiston huffed while staring at Edna.

"We're not going to fall behind you again, but right now someone needs to move on ahead." Takeru nodded. "Besides, something about this girl just irritates me." That statement brought forth several nods of agreement from everyone; Edna was a really irritating dragon to deal with for whatever reason. White Eclipse was going to face off against Edna. With this in mind, Natsu recklessly led the way forward to the castle with the others right behind him. They were almost there and there was no doubt the others would be behind them once the cleanup in the city was done.

.

.

"Now now…" Nasir was the one stood in the way now, arms crossed over his chest as his presence rapidly changed the course of the wind. "I can't just let you waltz around however you please. You've no invitation to the castle this time."

"Of course this asshole would be the one to stand in our way…" Natsu scowled. "Get out of our way! We don't have time to deal with you!"

"He'll just throw a fit if we throw him around a little bit…I noticed that tendency to complain when we encountered him a while back…" Rogue pointed out.

"W-What!? How dare you!?" A tick mark appeared on Nasir's head at Rogue's accusation.

"He's a whiner…?" Minerva quirked her brow, stifling a laugh to think a dragon would whine when things didn't go their way.

"Fro thinks so too…!" Frosch innocently chimed in.

"Okay enough! I won't sit here and be belittled by humans!" Nasir growled. "Now I'll make you won't be getting into the castle!" Suddenly, a strange scent wafted into his sensitive nose, causing him to cringe and take several steps back. "Ugh?! What is the pungent aroma!?"

"This is my parfarm, men~" Ichiya said while from above on the Christina, followed by members of Quatro Cerberus. "Its handsome scent is only the most beautiful among all my aromas!" The other Blue Pegasus members took their positions back on the ship while QC made it back to the land.

"Don't worry about the skies!" Jenny said with a salute. "We'll be here for aerial support if you guys need it!"

"Just leave it to us!" Ren nodded. "Go ahead!"

"Now we're gonna get some action? This is about to be wild!" Bacchus grinned while taking a swig from his special gourd.

"FOUR!"

"Who would've thought they would've come through when we needed them the most?" Orga scratched his head.

"Who cares, let's keep moving!" Gajeel barked with obvious excitement. "The castle is up ahead! I'm inching to get some action in! Whoever else is in the way is gonna get railed down!"

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.

"Agh…" Juvia's breathing was weighted as her entire being was ripping apart from within. Absorbing the Mystic Water came with a backlash she wasn't expecting to pay for. "J-Juvia's body is…not responding…"

"As I said…a human's body is too impure for the Mystic Water. Where did you think you'd get away with becoming one with it?" Gaius shook his head at Juvia with a wide, hungry grin. "That's the folly of humans, attempting to toy with things they don't understand in hopes they can get it to work by some miracle. What driving force pushed you to preform something so stupid?" Gaius lit his foot in flames and kicked Juvia, forcing her to roll away until coming to a stop on her side; he continued to walk after her, now stomping on her side violently, a cry of pain escaping Juvia in the process with each stop. "Was it love? A pathetic emotion that humans believe they can thrive on!? That same emotion that killed that one human before the rest of you!?"

"T-That's enough!" Aira yelled, attempting to make a move but a ring of flame surrounded the group, preventing them from moving anywhere. "A-Ah…!?"

"I'll snack on you next." Gaius told Aira before giving his attention to the bruised and battered Juvia. He raised his foot, aiming to bring it down on Juvia's skull to crush it…but she stopped it with her hand. "…!?"

Even though her body was still in pain, Juvia began to ignore it. The fire around Gaius' foot was put out as a result from the water. "Juvia…will not tolerate…" She began to stand up, having an iron grip on the dragon's foot. "A mockery…of love!" She then swung another punch at Gaius, forcing him to stagger away. "The purest emotion to ever exist is love…and Juvia will fight to show you that! Gray-sama is depending on Juvia…and so is that little dragon. So Juvia will not lose!" Purity at its finest. Just like that, the sparks around Juvia's body dispersed and her body began to sparkle once again, fully imbued with the Mystic Water's power.

"W-What the…!?" Gaius' jaw dropped. "But how…!? Humans are filthy!?"

Juvia held her hands forward silently, generating a cyclone of water within her hands. She was now bringing out the power the awakening of her Second Origin could use. "Wings of Love!" From Juvia's hands, a gigantic cyclone of water shot out, ripping across the field as it raced directly towards Gaius at breakneck speeds. Not even the fire dragon had a defense for this and was consumed by the attack.

"Ugh…?!" Gaius was on a knee, unable to believe any of this. "H-How…!? This can't be happening!?"

"Now…" Juvia held her hands up, beginning to draw forth from the Mystic Water Lake itself. The sparkling water began to take form of a vicious whirlpool directly around Juvia's lower body. The size was incredible, towering a few yards into the air. "This one is for Kuro-san and Blues-san! WATER JIGSAW!" Juvia began to move forward, not only dousing the flames around the group, but caught Gaius in the midst of her Jigsaw, slamming him against the castle wall and forced him there until the eventual explosion of water. The explosion was so great Juvia found herself hitting the ground on her back with a pained groan. "Oof…!" But at on the other side, Gaius laid on his back with his eyes pure white to signify a sign of KO. "That's…the power of love…"

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Next Time: Bundle of Roses.


	56. Chapter 55: Bundle of Roses

"Haaaaaa…" Mii flew into the throne room, resting on the floor on her knees. "That was really bothersome…" She then looked around, noticing that Dhegensea was the only person in the room. "Oh…the others aren't here."

"You're back…and bleeding all over the carpet." Dhegensea narrowed his eyes towards what looked like a gravely injured Mii. He ignored it since she seemed to be standing fine. "Did you do what I ordered of you?"

"Huh?" Mii blinked once before snapping her fingers. "Oh, yeah! All taken care of, though I don't see why you were so worried about it. Not like she's the actual destined wielder for it…who knows where that person is."

"If she can hold it, she is a threat." Dhegensea stated. "But I trust you've done your job, meaning there is no need to worry."

"Yeah, trust me." Mii muttered with a faux grin. "I always do what I need to do. But on a more serious note…this island is gonna blow soon. Those humans aren't giving up either and are getting a little close, yet you seem rather calm. What's up with that?"

"They'll fall and die on this island while we advance towards the mainland." Dhegensea explained. "I have no worries, even with so little time remaining. It's more for them, not for us."

"I see…" Mii nodded slowly in understanding. "There's not a lot of time left to act…in both cases…" Her thoughts trailed off…whatever was she thinking? Only she knew.

.

.

"Juvia, are you okay!?" Meredy knelt down next to the injured Juvia.

"You sure kicked his butt!" Aira chimed, placing her hands over Juvia as a soft sea green light emitted from her palms. She was healing what she could from Juvia's injuries with her lowered magic. "But…" She then glanced at the Mystic Water Lake, which was now nearly drained from Juvia's last attack. "The lake is nearly dry…"

"What are we going to do…? Don't we need that?" Leon tilted his head."

Juvia's body was still glistening from absorbing the Mystic Water. With Aira's help she was able to stand up properly, but wobbled a little bit. "Juvia will come up with something…but right now, I have to get to Cynthia!"

"The castle might be crawling with guards…! Are you sure you'll be able to get through and reach her in time…!?" Meredy asked, and right after she did there were several explosions occurring within the castle.

"Looks like the others are here now too…!" Aira chimed. "We can meet up with them!"

"Mhm…!" Juvia nodded, glancing at Blues who remained still on the ground. "Blues-san, aren't you coming…? Juvia will need your nose to track down Cynthia's exact location."

"I don't feel like moving." Blues replied; he was still stricken with grief from the loss of Kuro. "I'll stay here and salvage what I can from the lake and keep an eye on this dragon…if he wakes up he'll be angry…"

"Blues-san…" Juvia wanted to reach out to him but they needed to hurry.

"I can smell Cynthia." Leon reassured Juvia. "Just follow me!" With a nod, Leon led the way from the backyard of the castle to where Cynthia was deeper in the city. There wasn't much time left for the young girl so they needed to hurry…

.

.

Lucius walked into the foyer of the castle with Hisui by his side a small chuckle escaping him. "Took some time, but we've finally made it, Princess. I wonder if you still believe your friends are going to come and save you now?" He talked as if Hisui could respond, but she was still under his spell.

"I thought you were the gentlemen around here?" Brax said while walking into the foyer with his arms crossed. "I knew you were taking care of her, but this is completely out of line for you, Lucius. That's no way to treat a lady."

"I was wondering when you were going to show." Lucius ran a hand through his hair. "The end is upon us, you know. Just a little more until we snatch that gem to rule over Pergrande. It's quite exciting, don't you agree?"

"I agree…" Brax nodded, suddenly bringing forth his chakrams to his sides. "The end is near. For you." In the next instant, he hurled both weapons towards Lucius one after the other.

"Oh…?" Lucius raised a brow, merely leaping to the side to avoid one of the flaming weapons. However the other one was inadvertently aimed at Hisui as a result. "Tch…!" Acting quickly, Lucius snapped his fingers to remove Hisui from her trance.

"Huh…?" Hisui blinked once, the emerald color returning to her eyes before noticing the flaming weapon heading in her direction. "Eep…!" She was quick to throw herself to the floor with a thud, and the second she was out of harm's way Lucius snapped his fingers again and she was back in the trance.

"What's the meaning of this? Are you trying to betray us?" Lucius asked while bringing forth his scythe.

"If anyone is guilty for betrayal…" Brax began while catching his weapons, swinging one of them around his index finger. "It would be you, Laura, and Xen. Attempting to use this island's power to overthrow King Ashnard, and in the midst of a very important mission. Xen suffered a defeat against one that was strong enough to rival one of our own generals, but I was the one who finished him off for his treason. Laura is currently sitting back at the ship; I was given special orders not to harm her in the event the treason was true. Unlike you, I know how to treat a lady."

Lucius was not fazed by Brax revealing his true colors. In fact he let out a minor chuckle. "I heard about a spy within our group from one of the others, though I was not sure who it could've been. We all shared the same goal, so I believed…but I suppose it all came down to who was left standing at the end of the day. Wes failed his job despite his effort, Lex fell soon after…and Xen…ha…who put you up to the task? Was it Rubicante? Lady Nercon?"

"It doesn't really matter, now does it?" With a grin, the chakrams began spinning rapidly and flames coated them once again. "Here's the important part, one which I hope you've memorized…in the name of the Kingdom of Pergrande, it is my duty to bring down the sentence for those who dare cross the nation. The sentence for treason is…execution."

Lucius merely smirked at Brax's delivery of that line. "That line doesn't suit you."

"Had to try it at least once." Brax admitted with a shrug. "Now burn, baby!" He then sprinted towards Lucius with incredible speed, swinging his flaming chakrams at the follow commandant. Lucius was swift in his movements and swung his scythe accordingly to block all of the strikes, though sparks flew whenever they collided.

"At least you're not sloppy like everyone else." Lucius complimented before swinging his scythe forward, aiming for Brax's chest however the flame mage evaded it and aimed a roundhouse for his head, though Lucius blocked and the two leapt away from each other.

"Being number 5, what did you expect?" Brax gave a cheeky grin before throwing the weapons at Lucius once more; Lucius held his scythe vertically and held off the two weapons and sent them flying back at the user, however Brax was prepared for this and leapt into the air while catching them, unleashing one yet again in a horizontal motion to create a wall of flames that cut off half the room. "Ha, get burned, pretty boy."

Just then the group infiltrating the castle stormed into the foyer, surprised by the sight they saw. "W-What the hell is going on here…!?" Sting questioned.

"Oh, perfect timing." Brax let out a minor sigh. "If you're looking to go upstairs, just wait till this wall goes down. Your princess is right behind it."

"You're the one that…!" Natsu began.

"Wait a second…!" Levy held her hand out. "What are you!"

"I'll just let you take care of this for me; I've other business to attend to." With that, Brax vanished once again in a veil of flames, and just as he vanished the wall of flame he created died down, revealing a standing Hisui.

"Hisui!" Lucy cheered after finally seeing the princess since their departure earlier in the day. She rushed over to Hisui to make sure she was okay.

"Lucy-sama, be careful…!" Yukino warned.

"Hisui, are you all right…!?" Lucy asked while looking the princess over, but she didn't seem to respond. "Huh…?"

Natsu sniffed the air, catching a strange scent lingering in the room. "…Lucy, watch out!"

"Huh…?" Lucy blinked before noticing a gentle breeze of roses flowing by. In the next instant Lucius appeared, swinging his scythe at Lucy's neck. "WAH!?"

Lucius was going to stop just before the tip of his scythe actually hit Lucy, but he was halted by Gajeel's iron pole. "Hmm." Lucius hopped away, running a hand through his hair. "Intriguing…"

"Who the hell is this guy…?" Gray said while sliding into his ice make pose. "Another one of those white coats too…wait, where they fighting each other?"

"Wait…isn't this the one Mii-sama described as the handsome male who stole the princess…?" Yukino did find herself swooning a little bit while staring at Lucius' pretty face. "He is quite handsome."

"H-Hey, wait a second!" Sting shouted with his eyes comically bulging from their sockets. "He's not THAT good looking!"

"W-Well…" Levy placed her hands behind her back, shifting around a bit awkwardly.

"Oh you've gotta be kiddin' me…" Gajeel had an annoyed tick mark on his forehead.

"The ladies are quite enamored with me…" Lucius said with a sly chuckle. "What can I say, my charm just cannot be beat. Even your princess agrees."

"What did you do to her?" Happy asked while flying around Hisui, noticing the lifeless expression in her eyes. He waved but she didn't even respond. "Is she awake!?"

"My charms have her entranced." Lucius replied. "I welcome you to try and rescue her, since she's stuck on the belief one of you would."

"We don't have a lot of time left but we need to save her…" Rufus tilted his hat.

"I got this one." Gajeel said with a widening grin, taking a few steps forward while cracking his knuckles. "I've been itching for a proper fight all day!"

"I'll fight with you." Pantherlily nodded. With a puff of smoke he was standing in his Battle Form, Musica sword at the ready.

"W-We'll fight too!" Lucy nodded and pulled out her whip while Levy stood right beside her. "We have to save Hisui! The rest of you can go ahead!"

"Kick his ass!" Gray said with a grin before he, Natsu, Happy, Cana, and Sabertooth ran up the stairs to ascend to the throne room.

"Now, this should be interesting…" Lucius said while eying Gajeel, who was the most eager to fight out of the four that stood before him. He then glanced at Lucy, who was a lost cause for him at this point…or maybe. "You know…Lucy."

"Eh…?" Lucy blinked, not having expected Lucius to address her so informally.

"I was surprised to hear that Wes was defeated by the very one we were after. This just meant that we had to approach you with caution…and again you managed to deter Xen and Laura, but who would've thought what I was looking for would've landed right in my lap."

"What the hell do you people in white coats want with me!?" Lucy shouted.

"You wouldn't understand if I told you just yet." Lucius said with a small chuckle.

"Lu-chan…" Levy was showing concern for her friend.

"I'll make sure the princess is safe!" Happy spread his wings and flew to Hisui's back, lifting her into the air and hopefully out of harm's way.

"Enough of this chatter!" Gajeel shouted. "Let's get this started already!"

"As you wish…" Lucius merely grinned before vanishing, leaving several rose petals in his wake. In the next instant he moved from Lucy, to Levy, to Gajeel, to Pantherlily, leaning in to whisper something in their ears before returning to his position. As soon as he returned the number 10 appeared over all four of the mages. "There."

"W-What the hell is this?!" Pantherlily questioned.

"Allow me to demonstrate." Lucius took his scythe and lunged forward towards Levy, slashing at her within incredible speed.

"Eeep…!" Levy cringed at what she believed to be a deathly blow…but nothing happened. She felt no pain. "E-Eh…T-That didn't hurt?" Looking up, the number above her head lowered to 9. "W-What?!"

"When that number hits 0, you will die instantly." Lucius explained, and just that the eyes of everyone widened with fear. "They call me Lucius, one of Pergrande's deadliest Commandants. The Silent Scythe…"

Cana was following right behind the others but halted upon feeling a strange energy pulse from an opposing corridor. "Huh…?" Everyone else went on ahead in the heat of the moment while Cana started to run down the other corridor. "That felt familiar…was that…"

.

.

Halfway up the castle, Eizen was now the one who stood in their way, arms crossed as he deliberately blocked the path that led to the throne room. There was a knowing grin on his lips as he stared down the group. "Were you hoping you could reach King Dhegensea so soon? Why don't you stay a while and sniff the roses?"

"The last thing we need is this asshole blocking the way…" Sting grit his teeth before glancing at Natsu and Gray. "Natsu-san! Gray-san! Sabertooth will hold him off here!"

"I agree with this notion." Minerva said while placing a hand on her hip. "I haven't had the chance to truly stretch my limbs out all day, what better chance than on one of the isle's strongest?"

"Go upstairs. We'll be behind you shortly." Rogue confirmed with Rufus and Orga at the ready.

"Do you really think I'll just ALLOW you to pass because you've chosen who wants to die first?" Eizen chuckled at the idea. "How dare you-"

And before Eizen could finish, Sting slammed a White Dragon's Iron Fist into the dragon's jaw, the force strong enough to send the Silver Dragon skidding away from the stairwell. "Now! Go!"

"Aye!" Natsu nodded, going off along with Gray up the stairs. Time was running out and they were so close to the Throne Room…

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.

The battle against Lucius was going south, to say the very least. Lucius was still relatively fresh throughout the entire day, while the others had been worn down with either the other Commandants or dragon soldiers. The pressure was truly on with the countdown to death; Lucius' attacks did not leave a single mark, but every time he hit the timer decreased by one. "What's the matter? Is the pressure getting to you?" Lucius questioned with a sly grin.

"This guy is really annoying…!" Gajeel grunted. His counter was at the lowest at 3, due to his usual reckless nature, but it was almost as if he was paying no mind to it. One arm extended out, turning into his Iron Dragon's Sword, the jagged metal blade began spinning rapidly in a chainsaw-like motion. Gajeel leapt into the air and brought the blade down on Lucius, who blocked with the handle of his scythe. "Grrrr…!"

"Away with you!" Lucius used his physical might to push Gajeel away, but in that instant Pantherlily charged forward with a shoulder tackle to knock Lucius off balance. "Oof…!"

"Now!" Lily shouted towards Levy and Lucy.

Levy began to right the word 'ROPE' out in the air. "Solid Script: Rope!" With her rope and Lucy's whip, the two females wrapped their weapons around the head of Lucius' scythe, dragging the weapon to the ground.

"We got it!" Lucy shouted.

"Now let's try this again!" Gajeel landed on the ground, aiming a devastating slash to Lucius' chest. It was a direct hit and the commandant staggered back; the iron dragon then pulled the scythe from the ground and hurled it back at its user. "Now give us time back!" The scythe hit its own user and in that instant everyone's timer was refreshed back to 10.

"Yes, we're back!" Levy cheered.

"Let's keep it up!" Lucy pumped a fist.

"Ngh…" Hisui blinked very slowly, the emerald color returning to her eyes the more Lucius took a beating.

"Hmph…" Lucius let out a minor groan of pain before standing back up with his scythe in his hand. There was a scowl now painted along his blood covered lips. "You're a little more irksome than I would've liked…but that's fine. I suppose I'll just have to up the ante." Lucius swiped his arm, creating a small tornado of sharp roses before him. "Rose Frenzy." The tornado then dispersed, sending the sharp roses flying everywhere, covering every inch of the room.

"Gah!?" Happy did his best to avoid the powerful roses; however he was clipped and ended up falling to the floor, dropping Hisui in the process.

"W-Wahhh!?" Lucy crossed her arms, groaning in pain as the roses began creating cuts along her fair skin.

"T-These hurt…!" Levy grunted while doing her best to defend against the roses.

"W-What's up with these flowers?!" Gajeel used his iron scales to try and lower the damage dealt to him, however he was still feeling each hit.

"So strong…!" Lily exclaimed.

"My roses have but the sharpest of thorns. No defense is capable of blocking them." Lucius said while pulling a rose from his coat pocket, giving if a gentle sniff before tossing it into the frenzy of roses attacking the Fairy Tail mages. "Au Revior." Lucius said, and just then another explosion occurred, sending everyone scattering with their counter at 1.

"I-I'm spent…" Lucy groaned while lying on her stomach. Her encounters all day were finally getting to her and she couldn't afford to move her body any more than she already had.

"M-Me too…I can't move…" Levy was on her back, just barely able to lift her head up.

"Now then…" Lucius was taking in his options on who to eliminate first. "You, with the loud mouth. I think I'll remove you first." He was referring to Gajeel. The Commandant took a step forward only to find himself stuck in now liquefied floor. "…Huh?"

"Now, that just won't do!" Hoteye said while pointing two fingers at Lucius.

"Time is of the essence…" Ultear was behind Hoteye, using her magic to accelerate and break the counters that were above the group of Fairies. "Are you all okay?"

"I'll live…" Lily replied.

"How dare you interfere…" Lucius went to swing his scythe…but the weapon was long gone from his hands. "W-What…?"

"You won't be needing this." Racer grinned while on the opposite side of the room, holding Lucius' scythe. "Richard, clean this up, will you?"

"Of course, Desu-ne!" Hoteye nodded and proceeded to trap Lucius in a coffin of liquefied ground that quickly turned into a solid, only to explode shortly after and send Lucius flying across the room before hitting the wall on his back.

"I'll show this bastard to talk shit about me!" Gajeel hopped up, holding his arm high as it morphed into an iron sword once again, only time it was much larger and cut through parts of the castle on its way up. With a wicked grin, he exclaimed. "Karma Demon: Iron God's Sword!" Gajeel brought his blade down on Lucius, only to stop JUST before hitting the Commandant with widened eyes. Why didn't he follow through with the finisher? Because Hisui was standing protectively in front of Lucius with those lifeless eyes of hers. "G-Get out of the way…!"

"What's she doing…?" Racer quirked a brow, preparing to move if necessary…but waiting was his folly, as Lucius summoned a twister of roses to restrain the movement of him and everyone else. "Ugh…!?"

"Why is the Princess protecting him?!" Happy yelled.

"The Princess is still under my spell…and she will do whatever is needed to protect me." Lucius gave a malicious grin. "If you wish to kill me, go ahead! But you will be killing her in the process!" So he finally showed his true colors; a pretty face with ugly intentions.

"C-Come on…" Levy tried desperately to move her hand, slowly writing up a word in the air. "Solid Script…Rock…!"

"You think a little rock will be the end of me!?" Lucius taunted Levy's attempt.

A rock did fall from the sky, but it did not land on Lucius for he was not the target…it instead landed on Hisui, causing her to cringe in pain. "O-ow…what on earth!?" She blinked, having snapped out of Lucius' trance. "W-What…where am…OH!" She recalled everything and on instinct squealed while throwing her foot at Lucius' head, causing him to stagger away, releasing the others in the process. She then dove to the side to remove herself from harm's way.

"Finally!" Gajeel shouted while pulling his arm back, shadows beginning to flow around his body. Iron Shadow Mode was activated and used his ability to traverse the shadows, quickly appearing behind Lucius' back to grab his hair and toss him towards the roof and into the sky. "Roar…of the Iron Shadow Dragon!" Gajeel inhaled for only a second before unleashing a gigantic funnel of iron shrapnel and shadows towards the airborne Lucius, completely consuming him in the process.

"GYAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" Lucius' scream echoed throughout the city as he began to fade away. The price for failure was death…the price for treason was death. "Is this…how I die…? Curse you…" With Gajeel's roar ending, Lucius was gone.

"Guh…" Gajeel fell to a knee, reverting to normal while panting heavily, though there was a slight grin etched onto his lips. "Ugly bastard…."

.

.

Back upstairs, Eizen was giving Sabertooth the work. All five mages were on a knee from his might while he was only slightly banged up from their combined efforts. "Come now…" Eizen said in a taunting tone. "Don't tell me this is all you humans can muster after talking such a big game?"

"He's stronger than we gave him credit for…" Orga grunted. "But this is nothing!"

"We are Sabertooth…we've dealt with dragons before…" Rufus said while shaking his head.

"Come on, Rogue…" Sting entered his White Drive while Rogue entered his Shadow Drive. "Let's show this dragon what our bond of black and white is made of!"

"Right…!" Rogue nodded and the Twin Dragons were off, their respective magic pouring from their hands.

"White Shadow Dragon's Rough Silk!" The Twin Dragons exclaimed as beams of black and white began to pierce through Eizen, who let out a roar of pain in the result. The two slid behind him and turned to look at their progress…only to receive a beam of silver light that crashed into them, sending them sprawling along the floor on their backs in an unconscious state.

"Sting-sama…Rogue-sama!" Yukino cried out.

"Shit…" Minerva cursed, wincing slightly from the pain in her injured leg.

"That was a rather cheeky move, don't you agree?" Eizen said while standing before Sting and Rogue. "Dragon slayers…thinking they're so high and mighty."

Just then, Frosch and Lector stood before the Twin Dragons with tears in their eyes. "Frosch won't let you hurt Rogue." Frosch stated.

"S-Sting-kun! Don't worry! I'll protect you!" Lector shouted.

"Cute little creatures…" Eizen shook his head. "I don't wish to harm you…however you're in my way, so I will do what I must."

"I won't let you hurt them." Yukino was now standing in front of the exceeds, arms spread out with a determined look on her face. "I'll protect the two of them with my life, because they've done so much for me."

"Is that how you truly feel…?" Eizen quirked a brow before shrugging. "Very well…" He then inhaled slowly before unleashing his Silver Roar, a beam of silver light racing towards Yukino before anyone could truly react.

Yukino didn't budge. Instead she turned over her shoulder to give the awakening Sting and Rogue a soft smile. "Sting-sama…Rogue-sama…" And the beam consumed the celestial mage, a scream of pain escaping her as she slowly began to fall back to a lower floor of the castle, but there was still a smile on her lips. "I believe in you…." With that, Yukino fell from sight.

"Oh, she was serious….what a folly…" Eizen shook his head without a care…but he should've cared, for Sting and Rogue slammed their fists into his face with such might he actually flew back. "W-What…!?" Staring at the Twin Dragons, his eyes widened at their angered expression. Sting and Rogue were both in Dragon Force, and they held the rage of a dragon within them.

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Next Time: Sabertooth Order.


	57. Chapter 56: Sabertooth Order

Zeref was standing with his back turned to Mavis, who just now arrived on the isle to see how things were going to turn out. He didn't move, instead he just began to speak. "You don't truly believe they'll make it in time, do you? They're running thin on time and they still have far too much to accomplish."

"I believe in them." Mavis said with a firm nod. "They always come through when things are coming to a close."

"I wonder about that." Zeref then began to walk off, keeping the book of E.N.D in his hands.

.

.

"Come on, you humans are absolutely boring!" Edna shouted while weaving through a few attacks aimed for her without too much effort. "Things are coming to an end and I don't think I can stop yawning…" She even yawned as she started speaking. "I'm getting tired…maybe I can just nap the night away…"

"This woman is so frustrating…" Waiston grunted in annoyance for various reasons. "She doesn't even have a rack, what's up with that? The poison dragon was at least good to look at."

That comment was enough to tick Edna off. She growled before stepping on the ground, creating several crystal spires that rose from the ground to strike the Eclipse mages, though they all managed to evade with the swiftness.

"Aw, Waiston…" Jaxon said while stifling a laugh. "Come on, buddy. It's clear she's not as mature as her other dragon brethren. It's okay, Edna, some people mature slowly than others." They were mocking Edna and it was working, because she was losing all sense of clarity from being taunted by humans.

"Why you little…" Edna started to speak, however a diamond coated fist from Selene met her jaw and harshly snapped her head to the side, but nothing more.

"Wha…?" Selene blinked slowly while quickly withdrawing her arm.

"Crystal Scales." Enda said with a cocky grin. "Much stronger than that puny material diamond, didn't you know?"

"Oh, she's pompous too…" Luke rolled his eyes before throwing his arms forward, unleashing several spears of ice in Edna's direction, though they all shattered against her crystal scales. "Oh come on…!"

"It's what happened before all over again…" Cygnus scoffed. "Those things repel almost any attack!" As noted by the various waves of gravity Cygnus was shooting at Edna, but she didn't so much as flinch this time due to her scales. "It's Selene but worse!"

"Then I guess we'll just have to melt them!" Draco said with a cocky grin before looking over at Kuro. "You ready?"

"Oh yeah!" Kuro nodded. With that the two fire users were off side by side, white flames appearing around Draco's fist while devil flames appeared around Kuro's fist. "Flame Devil's Thermal Fist!"

"Ardent Spark!" Draco yelled in unison with Kuro. The two flame users slammed their fists into Edna's chest, the force strong enough to send the dragon staggering back a few steps, but otherwise no damage was dealt. "No way! Those crystals really are tough!"

"I got this!" Takeru entered his Shadow Drive, pointing one hand forward. "Shadow Dragon's Rough Silk!" The shadow dragon unleashed several piercing beams of his magic towards Edna. They all struck but did very little damage. "Man!" Takeru shouted in annoyance.

"We're not going to break through at this rate…" Zalen said while adjusting his glasses. "Crystal is a material I don't have the experience with yet…"

"How about you all stay down this time." Enda raised her foot and stomped heavy on the ground, trapping everyone within a crystal prison. "Terra Mine!" On that cue, the crystals exploded and sent everyone scattering in several directions.

"Shit…" Reve grunted in pain while pulling himself to a knee.

"She's a tough nut to crack…" Heather admitted while panting slightly.

"Now…" Edna dusted her hands off. "Which one of you lameos to get rid of first…" And just then, Sidney appeared before Enda with his arms crossed. "Oh…was that supposed to scare me?"

"…" Without a word Sidney's hand extended while phasing through Edna's scales. Sidney actually PUSHED Enda out of her scales, leaving a shell that shattered into harmless pieces.

"H-Huh!?" Edna's eyes widened as she attempted to get her bearings straight, but Sidney didn't get her the chance and slammed his fist into her stomach, causing her to hunch over.

"Oh…" Jaxon flinched for Edna at that moment. "I've taken that punch. It doesn't matter who you are, it's not good for your health."

Sidney then remained stationary while the others began to move in. The dragon slayers knew what to do at this point and Selene was the first to start, creating diamonds that held the exposed dragon in place. Soon after, a plethora of diamond weapons began to appear around Edna. "Secret Art: Gleaming Essence: Riot!"

"Roar…" Heather, Takeru and Waiston inhaled as their auras exploded, all of them entering Dragon Force.

"Of the Poison Dragon!"

"Of the Frozen Dragon!"

"Of the Shadow Dragon!"

The three of them unleashed their roars in unison, a vicious torrent of ice, shadows, and poison all racing towards Edna, and just as Selene unleashed the tornado of diamond weapons. "H-Hold on a second…!" Edna's eyes widened as all of the attacks converged on her all at once for a devastating explosion. When it faded, the wounded Edna was seen on her back, eyes white in KO.

"Finally, she stopped talking…" Cygnus rubbed his temples in relief.

Just then, Aira, Leon, Juvia, and Meredy appeared on the scene. "Oh…we missed one…!" Leon sighed.

"Leon! Aira! You're okay…!" Selene let out a sigh of relief before glancing at Juvia. "What happened to you…?"

"Mystic Water!" Juvia quickly exclaimed. "No time to explain, where is Cynthia!?"

"Down there! She stayed behind with a few others!" Luke pointed at the city's entrance.

"Thank you!" Juvia nodded before leaving the others to help Cynthia. "Hold on, Cynthia-san…Juvia is almost there!"

.

.

Nasir was stuck dealing with Quatro Cerberus, Cobra, Angel, and Midnight, and he was highly irritated by this unusual band of humans. They were more stubborn than he would've liked to deal with, but it was widely accepted that he was a bit of a brat by this point. Even Cobra couldn't help but chuckle at the thoughts Nasir was having as the battle went south for him. "I never expected a dragon to be a giant baby…"

"You…!" Nasir growled at Cobra's words. "I'll show you what I'm capable of!" He spread his wings and took to the sky, only to be immediately shot down by several beams of magic from above, crashing onto the ground with a large thud. "What…!?"

"Men!" Ichiya shouted from above in the Christine. "Your foul, unhandsome parfume is not allowed in these skies! Stay on the ground where you belong! Men~"

"You tell him, Ichiya-senpai!" Eve shouted with glee.

"Oh, you humans are so frustrating…!" Nasir yelled, but at this point he was assaulted by several angels due to well, Angel of course.

"I have a severe dislike of humans as well…" Angel commented. "But unlike you, I'm far more mature about it."

"I grow tired of this whining…" Midnight raised his pointer finger up. "Spiral Pain." From Nasir's location, a spiral formed around him and distorted blades began to cut into him, a roar of pain escaping the dragon as a result.

"Alright, let's start wrapping up this wild party…!" Bacchus grinned while speeding towards Nasir. "Chop hanging palm: UNDER MOONLIGHT!" And in one swift motion, Bacchus brought his palm up to Nasir's chin, lifting the dragon off the ground and into the air slightly. "Wild!"

"I'll put an end to this farce…" Cobra lunged into the air, a claw composed of poison forming along his arm. "Poison Dragon's Claw!" In one fluid slash, Cobra sliced through Nasir's side, the sky dragon collapsing on the ground on his back with his eyes white in KO. Cobra landed and dusted his hands off. "Finally, those annoying thoughts ceased…I couldn't bear hearing another second of that incessant noise…"

.

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Natsu and Gray were hurrying up the staircase. They were getting closer to the throne room but came to an abrupt halt as an unexpected person stood before them. Zeref merely smiled towards Natsu and Gray while keeping the book in his hand. "In a hurry, are we…?"

"Zeref…" Natsu scowled, flames immediately erupting from around him. "I'll deal with you later…for now, get out of our way!"

Zeref ignored Natsu while holding the book up. "Do you know what this is? This is the book of Tartarus' true guild master…E.N.D."

"E.N.D…?" Gray tilted his head. That name was familiar…too familiar.

"If things continue to go at this rate…this book may have to open." Zeref said.

"I'll kill that demon then." Gray said while pounding his fists together.

"You wish to kill E.N.D?" Zeref found this incredibly amusing, especially as he stared at Natsu. "How ironic…" Without another word, he vanished.

"What was that all about…?" Natsu wondered before shaking his head. He wasn't going to waste time thinking about it and they continued up the stairs.

.

.

"White Dragon's Holy BREATH!" Sting inhaled before unleashing a massive beam of white dragon slaying magic from his lips, aimed directly for Eizen. The White Dragon was fueled by rage for Eizen's actions against Yukino.

"Guh…!?" Eizen crossed his arms, sliding back as he felt the sting (no pun intended) from Sting's attack. "W-What on earth…?! That was nothing like the previous blow…!?"

"Shadow Dragon's Claw!" Rogue yelled while swinging his leg at Eizen's chest, knocking the sliver dragon away a few steps. The aftershock of Rogue's kick was enough to demolish the floor after.

"Memory Make: Karma of the Burning Land!" Rufus placed two fingers on his temples, a red magic seal appearing behind him. Once it formed the floor Eizen was standing on became incredibly hot, forcing him to take to the air…but Orga was waiting for him.

"Lightning God's Bolt!" With a mere clench of his fist, a block of black lightning dropped down on to Eizen, shocking him violently and sent him crashing back down to the ground. Minerva followed up with a territory infused fit to drive Eizen's face into the floor, an angered expression painting the Tigress' face.

"I'm going to rip you apart." Minerva stated before raising her hand again for another strike…but a silver explosion blew all of them away and Eizen stood up.

"You humans are still blinded by your emotions." Eizen said while dusting himself off. "I'll never understand it is about emotions that drives you so. Fighting for you fallen comrade? What will that do when you cannot defeat the one that defeated them in the first place?"

"You bastard…" Sting rose to his feet, growling towards Eizen. "I won't let you get away with that!" Sting lunged forward while swiping at Eizen's chest. "White Dragon's Claw!" The hit was blocked, but that didn't matter to Sting, for the white stigmata appeared on Eizen to restrain any and all movement.

"W-What…!?" Eizen attempted to move, but his body was completely paralyzed.

"Rogue!" Sting shouted while holding his hand to his side, generating a sphere of white dragon slaying.

"Sting!" Rogue mirrored Sting's action, a sphere of shadow dragon slaying appearing on his hand; the magic of the Twin Dragons merged together and shrunk for a brief second. The two then threw their fists forward, unleashing a massive unison raid towards Eizen that destroyed the very floor it travelled over. "WHITE SHADOW DRAGON'S WAXWING FLASH!"

"GYAAAH!" Eizen let out a scream as the Twin Dragon's attack landed directly, shooting out of the castle and into the distance. Sting and Rogue believed this to be the end…but it was far from it. Eizen was still standing, though his outfit was ruined and he was covered in bruises. "Did you think that was it?"

"He withstood that!?" Lector's jaw dropped.

"No way…" Frosch said with tears in his eyes.

"This one's tougher than we gave credit for…" Rufus adjusted his hat.

"Silver Dragon's Beam." Several silver magic seals appeared in the air above Sabertooth, unleashing countless beams of silver upon them, resulting in a large explosion that shook the foundation of the castle. "Are you done resisting…?"

"No…" Sting was hunched over, growling towards Eizen. "I'll never give up…as long as I draw breath, I'll make you pay for what you've done to Yukino!"

"Yes…" Rogue was right next to Sting, though he could hardly keep his balance.

"What do you humans intend to do about this!?" Eizen laughed. "You're powerless before the might of a dragon!"

"Hah…" A grin curled onto Sting's lips. "I don't think you know who you're talking to…Rogue and I…we've slayed dragons before…you seem to know them well…Wessologia…Skiadrum…"

"You didn't actually slay them…!" Eizen sounded like he was about to correct them, but he was halted. "Wait…"

Sting slammed his fist into the nearest wall, a bright white light radiating off his being. "Rogue, get ready. It's time to unleash the Order."

"Right…" Rogue nodded slowly while glancing at the others. "We'll settle this. Go find Yukino."

"You two have grown up…" Minerva had a slight grin before nodding. "But we're going to watch you wipe the floor with this one first, got that? I want the satisfaction."

"As if we'd ever deny you of that, Milady." Sting nodded to Minerva before turning to Eizen.

In the blink of an eye Sting closed the distance between them and slammed a white fist into the dragon's chest, forcing him to stagger back. Sting kept up the pressure while Rogue was right beside him, shadow dragon slaying magic infused with each hit. Soon, their hits began having explosive properties, black and white erupting from each successful strike while Eizen roared in pain. "SABERTOOTH ORDER: WHITE SHADOW PIERCING FANG!" The Twin dragons continued their relentless assault before preparing for the final blow; a simultaneous punch that created the Sabertooth symbol, which exploded in a brilliant black and white light.

Eizen lay on the ground, broken and battered from Sting and Rogue's assault. The Twin Dragons fell to the hands and knees and in their regular forms. "…E-Excellent…"

"H-He's praising us now…?" Rufus tilted his head in confusion.

"What's this all about…?" Minerva questioned.

"Dhegensea…is truly a madman…" Eizen struggled to breathe. "He used his Dragon Manipulation to control most of the dragons on this isle…the truth be told…most of us do love humans…but now, that love has turned into unwarranted hatred…now he wants to rule them…please…you must stop him…" Eizen stared at Sting, holding his hand out. "Son of Wessologia, please, take my hand…"

Sting nodded slowly, taking Eizen's hand. He felt a brief surge of power run through his body and Eizen's hand dropped. "What was that…?"

"The last of my power…I know you'll use it well…for you are a great leader…" With that, Eizen's eyes closed. The Silver Dragon had been slain.

"…So the king is the real bad guy after all, huh…?" Orga commented. "Let's find Yukino…you guys can take a break. Don't worry, we'll make it."

"Of course we will." Rogue said with an exhausted smile. "Especially with that one going to confront him first…"

Minerva stared down the hole Yukino fell down; her brow quirked before she leapt down it, feeling some sort of familiar presence down below. She went without a word, so her disappearance, left the others a little confused.

.

.

Cynthia was getting even worse. Dragon wings sprouted from her back and she was writhing around in constant pain, Dragon Force activating on its own without her say so. "RRrg…."

"C-Cynthia…!" Wendy went over to try and help Cynthia but even she could no longer withstand the heat her dear friend was giving off. "A-ah…!"

"She looks like she's about to lose it…!" Raven grit his teeth.

"This isn't good…she's too hot to even think about approaching now…" Carla winced while backing away rom Cynthia.

"Where's Juvia…!?" Chelia asked. Suddenly, the shelter they were using was completely blown away by none other than Drake himself, who stood with a wide smirk as he watched Cynthia suffering. The Dragonification of Cynthia was almost complete and he was right on time to see it occur for himself. This was not a good situation…Wendy was wounded, Chelia had no magic, Cynthia was unresponsive; Raven and Alex were really the only two who could fight, but against Drake who knew how long that was going to last…

"Too little…too late." Drake said with a widening smirk.

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Next Time: Uncontrollable.


	58. Chapter 57: Uncontrollable

"Enda…" Eizen's voice echoed through the mind of Edna's sub consciousness.

"H-Huh…?" Enda blinked awake slowly. It was pitch black, but she could only see Eizen's frame. "E-Eizen? What are you doing…what happened…?" Edna stood up, walking to her brother, but he only seemed to get further away. "Where are you going? Stop moving away from me, damn it."

"My time is up on this world, Edna." Eizen said with a sad smile. "I'm very glad I got to see you grow up to a fine young woman."

"W-What are you saying…?! You were fine a few minutes ago…!?" Edna started to tear up. "W-who did this!? What human did this to you!? I'll kill them!"

"It was the humans that saved me." Eizen shook his head. "The real villain is Dhegensea…he's been controlling us the entire time…and these humans have come to defeat him. Please, my dear sister…side with them and take down that wretched blind king…and then live your life off this cursed isle…"

"Don't talk like that!" Edna started to cry, running towards Eizen but never getting any closer. "Brother, please! Eizen, don't go, please I beg you!"

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Selene stared at the unconscious Edna, recalling Mii's words from before. This caused her to bite her lip, seriously pondering the issue. "…"

"Selene? What's wrong?" Aira tilted her head. "You've been staring at this one for a while now…are you afraid she'll wake up and try something?"

"No, that's not it…" Selene shook her head. "I was thinking about something Mii told my group earlier…something about these dragons."

"What'd she say?" Jaxon asked. "Because I can guarantee that whatever she said can be taken with a grain of salt."

"She said we should kill these dragons the second we get a chance." Luke explained. "That just knocking them out wouldn't be good enough…they'd want to kill if they woke up."

"I can believe that…" Cygnus said while sitting cross legged on a pile of rubble. "So, we just gonna off her in her sleep or what?"

"That feels kind of wrong…" Aira mumbled.

"I'll do it then." Sidney didn't even hesitate while walking over to stand over Edna, but in that instant she shot awake and began looking around while panting heavily.

"E-Eizen! Eizen!?" Edna shouted with tears streaming down her cheeks. She could no longer feel her brother's presence and that only meant one thing. "N-No…."

"Eizen..?" Leon blinked.

"That was the Silver Dragon…" Draco tried to recall correctly.

"My brother is gone…" Edna began to sob, crystal tears hitting the ground. "Why was I so stupid…? Why did I let that bastard control me…Dhegensea is the real villain…he's the reason my brother is gone…!"

"What are you rambling about?" Heather snapped at Edna, having no patience for this one's attitude. "You better start talking; we don't have time for this."

"E-Eizen was my brother…I realize now that Dhegensea was using his Dragon Manipulation to make those who love humans fight against them…Eizen, myself, Princess Ena, Prince Kurthnaga…and even Venoma…we all love humans, but after you left the isle that day, things changed quickly…"

"That's your sob story?" Luke asked with the upmost skepticism.

"You can believe her words…" Ena said while limping from around the corner, bruised, battered, but alive. There was a soft smile on her lips as she continued to speak. "Edna doesn't like to show it, but she's actually a nice girl…I'm sad she wasn't around when you first arrived, things might've played out differently…"

"Ena! You're alive…!" Aira rushed over to Ena, beginning to do her best to heal her. "You look awful, what happened…? Where are your wings…?!"

"Kurth ripped them off…but I ripped his off too…" Ena said with a weary smile. "Walking back to the city was a bit of a hassle…but I made it…"

"The princess has vouched for you…" Sidney turned to Edna. "But if you end up attacking us again, you won't live to see the light of tomorrow."

"I promise I won't attack." Edna gave a firm nod. "Please, let me help fight against the bastard king. Those dragon soldiers your friends are fighting only answer to Drake, though…the only way we're going to snap them out of it is taking out the asshole himself…but I have no idea where he could be right now…"

.

.

"Stay away from my sister!" Alex shouted while throwing her arm forward, changing her limb into a clawed whip. The intent was to stab Drake but he merely just leaned his body to the side and grabbed Alex's extended arm, pulling her closer with a single tug. "Waaah…!"

"You're an annoying child, but you're not the one I'm after." Drake slammed his fist into Alex's chest, releasing her at the same moment to send her flying into another building, dusting his hands off after. "Anyone else wanna get in the way?" Asked and answered; Raven fired off several wind arrows in attempt to get Drake to back away, but they were hardly doing any damage to the Viral Dragon. "You next, kid?"

"Raven look out!" Chelia squealed.

"G-Guh…!" Raven began to panic while unleashing arrow after arrow, but was merely backhanded away into some rubble, lying unconscious after the strike.

"Raven!" Chelia ran over to Raven, kneeling down to see if he was all right.

"Cynthia…I'll protect you…!" Wendy stood in front of the suffering Cynthia, though she winced from her injured leg. "I…I…Ngh…"

"You won't be doing much with that wounded leg." Drake shook his head at Wendy's attempt to protect her friend. "You'll make it much easier for yourself if you just hand her over." As Drake grew closer, he smacked Wendy over to the side, causing her to tumble before coming to a stop on her side, groaning in pain after. He then began to extend his hand towards Cynthia with a grin…until sparkling water whipped him several times, causing him to cringe and back away. "Guh!? What the hell was that!?"

"Stay away from her!" Juvia shouted while continuing to whip Drake away from Cynthia. "Cynthia is not your servant!"

"J-Juvia-san!" Wendy couldn't help but grin at Juvia's arrival, and with her different look, Wendy could only assume she grabbed the Mystic Water.

"No way…you lot actually got to the Mystic Water…" Drake growled while staring at Cynthia, who was between Juvia and himself. She was practically roaring at this point like a dragon so that meant only minutes remained before her conversion was true.

"Don't worry, Cynthia-san! Juvia is here!" Juvia pointed her hand forward, aiming a beam of the Mystic Water at Cynthia, but Drake stood in the way, wincing in pain due to the properties of the Mystic Water. "E-Eh?!"

"I'll die before I let you take away one of the strongest dragons soon to be!" Drake grinned. "So hit her all you want, I'll just be in the way! She's only a few minutes away!"

"Forgive me, Cynthia-san…!" Juvia extended her arm, creating a Water Lock around Cynthia completely composed of Mystic Water.

"Wha…?! Hey!" Drake turned around instantly, eyes widening at Juvia's sneaky attempt to cure Cynthia. Drake swung his claw at the Water Lock, popping the bubble and the small droplets rained down on Cynthia who kept writhing around on the ground. "There we go…"

"GET AWAY FROM HER!" Wendy screamed while pushing herself off the ground, immediately entering Dragon Force once again as she reared her good leg back, slamming it into Drake's jaw to send him spiraling away. "Cynthia!"

"Ugh…" Juvia fell to a knee, panting heavily. Her body was starting to not be able to take it and it was starting to show. She couldn't move and at the worst moment.

"It's too late now…" Drake wore a giant grin despite the bruise Wendy left on his jaw. Cynthia was reaching the peak of infection…

"S-Sis…!" Alex cried out while pulling herself from the rubble.

"This is no good…are we out of time!?" Carla cringed.

"No one has escaped my bite!" Drake rose his hand as Cynthia's flames began to flare uncontrollably from around her. "Not even you, Omega Fire Dragon! Now, I'll issue my first order to you! Take out your friends!"

"Rgh…agh…" Cynthia wasn't even speaking words at this point. She just placed her hands on the ground, pushing herself to her hands and knees. She looked horrible. Her entire right arm was coated in red scales and her hand was a claw, the scales covered half her face, her fangs were bared Dragon Force was active on its own accord, she had wings spread from her back, and her right leg was heavily covered in red scales as well.

"C-Cynthia!" Wendy began tearing up. Had they truly been too late to save her after all.

"Can she hear us…?" Chelia whimpered.

"Please, Sis…" Alex gasped.

"You…" Cynthia finally spoke, staring at Drake. "You hurt my friends, didn't you…?"

"W-what…?" Drake blinked as Cynthia spoke to him. That wasn't supposed to happen. "I said eliminate them!"

"I…." Cynthia brought herself to her feet, panting heavily. "I'll eliminate anyone who dares to put a finger on Wendy and anyone else I hold dear…I….I won't forgive you for hurting them!" With this exclamation, Cynthia let out a roar as her flames exploded, rising high into the sky in a bright red hue. She was fine; Juvia's attempts to save her did work after all.

"Cynthia…!" Wendy's eyes lit up in excitement to see Cynthia back to her senses.

"T-This shouldn't be happening…!" Drake panicked.

Cynthia lunged forward with red flame blazing around her fist, slamming it into Drake's face, sending him flying away with the sheer might. "This one's for all the dragons you hurt!" Wings flapped once and Cynthia actually took off after Drake, bringing her leg down for a fierce axe kick that sent the Viral Dragon crashing into the ground, now lying in a large crater, dazed from the impact. "And this one's for biting me, you freaking creep!" Cynthia raised her arms, a wildfire blazing around her limbs as she spun her body in a counterclockwise rotation. "Secret Art: Crimson Slash of the Omega Fire Dragon!" Cynthia then threw her arms forward, unleashing a massive spiral of flames at Drake that cut through anything and everything standing in its way.

"N-NO WAIT! STOP! I BEG OF YOU!" Drake's pleading was useless as the fiery vortex completely consumed him; his roar of pain was drowned out by the crackling of the flames that submerged him. When the flames faded, Drake was lying on his back, eyes wide and white in complete and utter defeat.

Cynthia landed on the ground, letting out a heavy sigh before giving Juvia a thumbs up as a thanks for saving her. "Heh…I can finally say I got that urge to tear something apart out of my system…!" However…she still looked partially like a dragon which worried her.

"Cynthia!" Chelia, Wendy, Alex, and even Carla tackle hugged Cynthia regardless, happy that she was feeling normal again.

"We're so glad you're back!" Chelia grinned.

"Sorry to worry you…" Cynthia replied with a small smile. "I hope this goes away soon…I really don't wanna keep looking like this for a while…"

.

.

Time until Etherion Fires: 10 minutes.

With Drake's defeat, any and all dragons under his control were put to a halt, stopping all violent actions the second he was rendered unconscious. "Things aren't looking too well down there…" Mii said while peering from the destroyed wall. "I think they've taken care of just about everyone…"

"This…" Dhegensea clenched the arm of his throne before crushing it within his fist. "This isn't how things should be playing out! They should all be dead by now! The Scroll of Fate has decreed this! Why are things deviating from fate!?"

"Are you mad?" Mii giggled while placing her hands on her hips, leaning forward. "You didn't honestly expect things to go the way some scrap of paper said it would, did you?"

"What's that supposed to mean, Chosen?" Dhegensea quirked a brow.

"You're dealing with humans here…" Mii shrugged and began pacing slowly around the room. "Humans aren't subject to change that doesn't benefit them, and they're inclined to fight against a bad fate. You think just because fate says so, it happens? It's supposed to be written in stone, not paper."

"Yet here you are, standing before me." Dhegensea scoffed.

"Guess some of us can't escape." Mii merely sighed. "I'm not exactly human, so I guess that rule doesn't apply to me. But can I tell you a little story?"

"Of?" Dhegensea could only wonder what this was.

"When I was younger, after that Tower of Heaven business…which is a little foggy, honestly…I found my real parents back in Pergrande, and I was taken there to live a happy life. I met my tutor and longtime friend, Kogoro shortly after returning home. He taught me a lot…despite being lazy…then my life changed when King Ashnard of Pergrande picked me for the Angelus Project. Crazy thing it was, sending me up to the heavens to actually converse with angels, hell, I even met the top dog! They told me a lot of things that I was sworn to secrecy about in exchange for these lovely wings and powers…so what did I do when I returned home? I don't know why…but I betrayed them and told Ashnard everything…that was the start and end of the fastest Holy War I've ever seen…Ashnard's forces were incredible."

"So the Holy War nearly two decades ago was your doing? Interesting…" Dhegensea nodded to tell Mii to keep going. "Fate has told me nothing about you prior to this aside from your time on this island and how it will end."

"Ha…" Mii gave a dry laugh before continuing. "I caused a war, can you believe it? Me. And when I went home…my parents were dead, and I heard Kogoro was missing…I thought he would understand, but I couldn't find him. No matter how hard I looked…and I've been looking for a long time, hell, I was doing anything I could to find him, no matter how dirty my hands got, so why do you think people have trust issues around me? …And I finally caught wind that he was on this island. This was my chance! And I swear on my life I saw him here yesterday in the prison when I was with Fairy Tail, and now he's gone! So where the hell did he go!?"

"I'm afraid I've no clue what you're talking about." Dhegensea was hiding it. He knew, but letting Mii know? That was a different story.

"I hate this island with a passion to be honest. Believe me if you want, I know I'm a compulsive liar…" As Mii continued to pace around, she finally reached the Scared Gem sitting in the corner. She grabbed it and a sly grin stretched onto her lips. "But there's one thing I do know…"

"And that is…?" Dhegensea felt this conversation was dragging on for far too long now.

Mii turned to Dhegensea, clenching the Scared Gem in her hands, its power radiating off of her now. "You shouldn't have told me I could use this Gem freely." With a devious grin, she pointed Purple Put at Dhegensea, unleashing a gigantic beam in his direction that cut through the floor it traveled over.

"Traitor!?" Dhegensea quickly leapt to the side to avoid the massive, sliding across the room with a scowl. "So now you show you're true colors?!"

"For someone who claims to know everything that happens…" Mii twirled Purple Pot around her index finger. "You're pretty slow on the uptake. I've never been one to hide my true colors…after all, I told you before I'm playing for the winning side…or did you not know that already?" Dhegensea could only clench his teeth in response. "Ah-ha! So the Dragon King is exposed! You really don't know anything, especially about me! But that's no surprise…I may not be a full human, but I'm still human, after all."

"You…!" Dhegensea growled.

"Mii Koryuji, at your servive!" Mii gave a cheeky smile before throwing Purple Pot and Dragon Hadlar into the air, and with a snap of her fingers the guns began unleashing countless magic beams onto Dhegensea who had no choice but to defend. Mii leapt into the air and performed a little spin. "The Finish Line is in sight, now get out of my way! Lion Lord!" She then fell down on Dhegensea while preforming countless stomps on him, the force of each stomp dragging the Dragon king along the floor with a deep crevasse before Mii leapt off and landed, catching both guns in her hands. "Finish!"

"Y-You're truly serious about this?!" Dhegensea groaned from Mii's attacks, attempting to pry himself from the crater.

"I'll show you what I can do…when I really get serious." Mii's tone dropped and her wings spread while lifting into the air, a purple florescent light filling the entire room. "SHINING BIND!" Several purple rays rained down from above directly onto Dhegensea, who let out a shout as he was consumed within the attack. Afterwards, Mii fell to her hands and knees, panting heavily from magic usage. "Haaa…haaa…" She then cringed heavily, falling to her stomach after, dropping the Sacred Gem and let it roll across the floor. Her magic tank was empty and her grave wounds were actually starting…to hurt. A lot. "I…I can't move…how about that…"

"I hope you didn't expect that to actually be the end of me…" Dhegensea emerged from the smoke with smoke marks on him, an amused grin stretched on his lips.

"S-Shit.." Mii's eyes widened in fear. "I-I thought for sure that would do damage…! Unless…"

"You can't use the Sacred Gem against me. For we are one." Dhegensea explained while standing a few feet away from the downed Mii. "I should've expected such behavior…you were with those humans for a while and no doubt they showed you some kindness if you stuck with them for so long…oh, but how ironic fate is…" Dhegensea raised his hand, but the doors to the throne room were blown open: Natsu and Gray arrived.

"The hell…?" Gray took a second to take in the scene. "What's going on here?"

"Why's Mii on the floor?" Natsu mumbled.

"Ah, Natsu, Gray…" Dhegensea welcomed the two Fairy Tail mages with what looked like open arms, as if there were no hard feelings. "Welcome, welcome…you came at just right time. I'm well aware you wish to fight me…however I was just about to get rid of this traitor. But I think I'll pass this onto to you two. After all, her actions have affected you far more than anyone on this isle, don't you agree? And the prince for betray on this isle is death. To think, the only people that ever showed her kindness for her actions, she just kept betraying, all for her friend whom she won't see again. To suffer the lonely fate of dying alone…it looks like all humans can't escape their fate."

Mii averted her eyes, biting her lip gently. Looks like even she had a guilty conscious. "…I can't say I don't deserve it, after all I've done to you…"

"What say you?" Dhegensea stared at the two Fairy Tail wizard. "Time is ticking."

Natsu and Gray looked at each other, giving a nod before staring at Mii, fire and ice covering the respective mages dominate fist. "We know exactly what it is you need, Mii. "Gray said as the two slowly approached the down female.

Mii closed her eyes, bracing for what she believed to be the end of her life, while Dhegensea stood with a malicious grin. The impact that Mii waited for…never came. Natsu and Gray slammed their fists into Dhegensea's face, causing him to stagger back a few steps.

"A second chance at life!"

Just hearing those words caused Mii's green eyes to widen, tears beginning to form in the corners of her eyes. Dhegensea on the other hand, was not pleased.

.

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Next Time: Countdown to Destruction


	59. Chapter 58: Countdown To Destruction

"I see…" Hisui nodded slowly as she was filled in on all the events she missed while being forced to travel with Lucius. "I've missed out on quite a bit…I do hope everyone is okay…"

"They're tough, so they'll be fine!" Lucy sat on her knees and gave Hisui a smile. "I'm just positive the others will be glad to see you. We've been worried sick about you all day…" Right after she spoke, she spotted the tower of Cynthia's flames rising off in the distance. "Ah! That's Cynthia!"

"You think she's saved?" Levy asked with hope gleaming in her eyes.

"Without a doubt." Lucy nodded. "I know those color of flames anywhere. Just then, several quakes occurred in the castle and everyone looked up. "Looks like they finally made it!"

"Tch…" Gajeel grit his teeth in annoyance, arms crossed. "Can't believe we got held up by that stupid white coat guy…"

"Who are those people?" Ultear asked. "They've appeared various times throughout the isle from what the others have been saying…"

"They said they were Commandants from the Pergrande Kingdom…" Lucy let out a heavy sigh. "And all of them have been after me all day…excluding that Brax guy, but I don't know what his deal is…he killed his own comrade right in front of us and was fighting another one…"

"This is very strange…" Hisui crossed her arms. "Once we get off this island I believe I'm going to have to have a conference with the King of Pergrande…"

.

.

"You…" Dhegensea wiped his cheek while staring at Natsu and Gray in utter disgust. "You'd actually strike me over ending the life of a vile traitor? One who doesn't even deserve to live life? One who was fated to die here?!"

"If anything, you're the one responsible for all of this." Natsu said while pounding his fists together. "I've been looking for a chance to punch you since yesterday, and that felt really good."

"Likewise." Gray merely gave a nod, a cold aura emanating from around his body. "We're bringing this to an end."

"Y…You two are idiots…" Mii winced in pain, placing a hand on her side while staring up at Natsu and Gray. "I…I don't…even deserve to live…"

"Just try to stay out of the way." Gray replied.

"I can't even move…" Mii rolled her eyes.

"You humans DARE challenge the Dragon King!? You will pay for you impudence!" Dhegensea's wings sprouted from his back and he crossed his arms, daring Natsu and Gray to come at him. That was a dare they accepted without any hesitation.

"I'll burn you to ash!" Natsu roared while dashing forward, arm reared back as flames ignited around his entire body. "Fire Dragon's Iron Fist!" Natsu swung his flaming fist at Dhegensea's chest, but the Black Dragon King merely blocked, letting out a scoff after.

"You're memory is shoddy. Don't you recall how this went yesterday?" Dhegensea prepared to strike Natsu, but was interrupted by an arrow of ice nearly striking him that he had to avoid by swaying his body to the side. "…!?"

"Ice Make: Super Freeze Arrow!" Gray had a trio of arrows at the ready on his bow, now having two after just firing one. Gray continued to fire the other two arrows in rapid succession, each one having an explosive icy impact with whatever it came into contact with. This forced Dhegensea to take into the air to avoid being frozen.

…But because Dhegensea's attention was on avoiding Gray's attacks, his focus left Natsu, wo was now moving in from above with a large blaze of fire over his head. "Fire Dragon's Brilliant Flame!" Natsu swung his arms down, unleashing the gigantic blaze at point blank range. The fiery explosion caught Dhegensea and sent him rocketing down to the ground, a cloud of smoke forming from impact. Natsu landed and peered into the smoke, knowing full well that wasn't enough to put him down.

Dhegensea lunged from the smoke and slammed his palm into Natsu's chest before following up with a rising uppercut, unleashing a twister that sent Natsu soaring into the broken ceiling with a pained yelp. "Black Dragon's Spiral!" Natsu landed harshly on his back, taking a few moments to recover, but Dhegensea already set his sights on Gray, darkness engulfing his claw as he flew towards Gray. "Black Dragon's Claw!" The Dragon King brought his claw down on Gray's chest, inflicting a deep gash that caused the Ice Maker's eyes to widen….before he completely shattered into harmless pieces of ice. "A clone!?"

"Never fails…" Gray smirked, now appearing behind Dhegensea while placing his hands on the ground. "Ice Make: Gungnir!" From the floor, a gigantic spear of ice launched up in attempt to impale Dhegensea. The Dragon King took to the sky and flew up to outpace the rapidly approaching spearhead…and he did so, stopping just a few feet before the spear hit him.

"Heh…" Dhegensea grinned, but the smile was soon wiped clean from his face.

The ice around the spearhead shattered, revealing Natsu who was ready to blast of. "C-Cold…!" He remarked before lunging forward with flames wrapped around his feet. "Talons!" Natsu slammed his feet right on Dhegensea's skull, sending the dragon king back down to the throne room. Natsu then shifted his body and allowed flames to coat his entire body as he rammed himself headfirst into Dhegensea's stomach, merely speeding up the process. "And Swordhorn!" CRASH! Natsu slammed Dhegensea into the floor once again and hopped away to be at Gray's side. "Heh, how's that?"

"We're just warming up too." Gray smirked.

Just then, several spheres of darkness formed around the two Fairies with no warning, immediately closing in on them. "L-Look out…!" Mii cried.

"Heh…" Natsu and Gray merely grinned. Natsu extended one arm out, creating a searing wall of flames on Gray's side. "Burn!"

Gray mimicked Natsu's action, crossing arms with his fellow guild mate as a wall of ice shot out from Natsu's side. "Freeze!" The action of the two fairies incinerated and froze the spheres of darkness into nothing.

"What…" Dhegensea grit his teeth silently before playing it off. "Well, well…this isn't as boring as I thought it was going to be. Your power is vastly different than it was beforehand…I wonder what changed it, though that doesn't matter so much, since you're going to meet your end here."

"These two…" Mii mumbled while watching Natsu and Gray charge at Dhegensea once again. The battle was going better than she originally thought it would, but it was still going south. Dhegensea was simply too strong for Natsu and Gray, and even if they didn't realize this yet, Mii was well aware of this face. But…she couldn't help but admire how they were trying anyway. Putting forth all their might in trying to fight against him…their mentally wasn't going in expecting to win…it was going in because they HAD to win.

"Secret Art!" Natsu exclaimed. "Crimson Lotus: Fire Dragon's Punch!" With this cry, Natsu began unleashing a barrage of high speed flaming punches aimed at various spots on Dhegensea's body. Gray was right beside Natsu, unleashing relentless punch after punch with no letting up. Dhegensea crossed his arms to soften the blow of the punches before finally deciding he had enough; a black pillar erupted from around him, pushing Natsu and Gray away with force, causing them to roll along the floor behind they both hopped up and charged once again.

"There's no way they're going to win…but they're still giving it their all…" Mii muttered while staring around the room until her eyes landed on the Sacred Gem just a few yards away from her. "The source of Dhegensea's power…" Mii's mind played back to when she was tricked into having the island fall to the ocean with the Gem's power, and to when she used it just moments ago to try and take out Dhegensea on her own. She siphoned its power…that meant she siphoned power directly from Dhegensea as a result. "If they're giving it all they got…then I have to, too…" Decision was made, Mii placed her hand on the ground shakily and brought herself to her hands and knees, coughing heavily from the over exertion on her body. "S-Shit…come on…move…damn it…"

"Night Slash!" Dhegensea slashed the air twice, sending two slashes of darkness racing across the room towards the Fairy Duo.

"Ice Make: Shield!" Gray threw his arms out, a shield of ice appearing before him and Natsu. It was useless against Dhegensea's attacks; the two slashes cut right through the shield and struck the two of them, sending them rolling across the floor before coming to a halt.

"Time to put an end to this!" Dhegensea began to inhale, darkness swirling around his lips in a small vortex. "ROAR!" Throwing his head forward, Dhegensea unleashed his roar upon Natsu and Gray, the pitch black darkness shooting out across the sky.

"…!" Mii's eyes widened upon seeing Natsu and Gray consumed by Dhegensea's roar. "N-NATSU! GRAY!" She shrieked, which only then reminded Dhegensea that she was in the room.

"Oh, you're still here…" Dhegensea scoffed.

"…For someone that doesn't seem to care that much about their own life…you sure seem to care about other people's…" Natsu said with a grin while standing up tall after Dhegensea's roar, bruised but still standing.

"You tend to shout when you really mean something…" Gray said with a smirk of his own, though it was directed towards Dhegensea. "Looks like even a liar can tell the truth sometimes, huh?"

"I-I…" Mii's eyes lowered and she bit her lip. Looks like she could show concern for others after all. "It's all my fault everyone's in this situation…"

Natsu merely shook his head and ignored Mii's pity party for now and turned his attention to Dhegensea. "So,Gray…ready for round 2?" As he spoke, flames erupted from around is body once again…but this time lightning was added into the mix. Lightning Flame Mode was activated as Natsu stared down the Dragon King.

"Of course." Gray nodded; the devil slaying tattoo spreading along half of his body, hair spiking up and a purple chilling aura began to emanate from his body.

"You humans are rather persistent, aren't you?" Dhegensea shook his head, letting out a heavy sigh. "Very well. I am THROUGH playing around with you. This time I will be sure to end it!" After he shouted, the entire island began to rumble violently. "…?"

"W-What was that…?" Mii questioned.

.

.

"Did anyone else feel that Earthquake…?" Lyon asked the others.

"That wasn't an earthquake…" Gaia's tone dropped. "The earth doesn't move like that…"

"Look, in the sky!" Milliana pointed to the large magic seal floating above the isle. "I-Is that thing gathering magic…?"

"Wait a second…" Ace's gaze lowered. "That's no ordinary magic seal…that's…"

.

"Hibiki-san, what is that!?" Jenny shouted. "Is it what I think it is…!?"

Hibiki gave a solemn nod, gritting his teeth as he couldn't bear to look. Instead, he just displayed a timer so everyone in the isle could see…and it read four devastating digits: 00:00. "I'm afraid it is…we've run out of time."

.

.

Siegrain sat in his office, keeping a lacrima of the timer and the isle in front of him all day. While it seemed to those in the island like a long day, to Siegrain the day went by in the blink of an eye. When the timer finally hit 00:00, he stood up and shook his head. He could tell they were fighting hard, but they weren't fighting fast enough. "You've failed to keep your end of the bargain…" Siegrain said while walking over to the Etherion Cannon controls. The other Council members were there watching man himself preparing to unleash the cannon.

"C-can't we give them a little more time!?" Doranbolt asked. He couldn't bear thinking about if Wendy or the others weren't on the island.

"You heard the rules, Doranbolt." Correll replied. "They had all day. It's been all day."

"This won't be a lot of paper work, will it?" Odin asked.

"None at all." Siegrain replied while placing his hand on the button. "I'm afraid you've run out of time. It was nice knowing you all." He pressed the button, activating the Etherion Cannon. The magic seal floating above the isle unleashed a massive beam that was more than capable of destroying an entire country, and all of it was focused on the single island with nothing in between it…

.

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Next Time: The Eternal Sword.


	60. Chapter 59: The Eternal Sword

[10 minutes prior to the Countdown.]

Cana hurried down the castle corridor, coming to a stop once she arrived at the Eternal Sword alter. "Huh…?" She glanced around the room, spotting an unconscious and gravely injured Yukino underneath some rubble, breathing lightly. "Whoa! Yukino!" Cana hurried over to the unconscious female, checking to see if she was still alive. "Stay with me…what happened to you…?"

"Tsk…" Venoma silently sucked her teeth before walking behind Cana and kicked her in the side, the force of the kick causing Cana to tumble along the floor before coming to a halt on her stomach. "Now, now…we can't have you parading around our little home all willy nilly…"

"Ugh…you…" Cana started to push herself up, but Venoma placed a foot on her back and forced her back down to the ground with a grunt of pain. "Agh..!"

"You humans have been getting dangerously annoying as of late…" Venoma then reached out to grab Cana's hair, pulling it up slightly to lift the card mage's head. "It looks like I'm just going to have to start picking you off one by one. I think you'll make a good first one…"

"Bitch…" Cana spat while clenching one eye shut in pain.

"Mmmph…" Yukino started to awaken, vision blurry. "W-What…" Her sight started to focus and she could see Cana being pinned down by Venoma. "C-Cana-sama…?" She tried to move but her lower half was stuck under some rubble, and just her luck; her keys were JUST out of arms reach.

"Oh, awake are we?" Venoma turned to Yukino failing to push herself out of the rubble. "Don't worry about being stuck; I'll get to you next." Raising her hand, the purple haired female allowed poison to form along it. She was just about to stab her hand into Cana's back but halted when Erza and Mirajane stepped into the alter from the other side. "Eh?"

"E-Erza…!" Cana's hateful scowl shifted into a grin upon seeing the two females. "A-And Mira! You're alive! I knew it!" Venoma then tugged Cana's hair, causing her to piss in pain. "Ow…bitch!"

"What's going on in here…?" Mira narrowed her ryes at Venoma. "Let her go. Now."

"This instant." Erza demanded, taking a step forward but halting when Venoma held her hand out.

"Ah ah ah…" Venoma shook her head in a disapproving manner. "You're in MY home, remember? So you're going to abide by MY rules. If you even breathe irregularly I'll make her death nice and painful…you can watch as my toxins slowly spread throughout her body and eat her insides."

"You're twisted…." Mira curled her hand into a tight fist. "How dare you threaten her like that…"

"Well…" Venoma was going to say something else, but she noticed a card sticking out of Cana's pocket. "Oh, what have we here?" She knelt down to pick out the card, which happened to be the one Kagura was still within, still unconscious. "Oh, what a pretty queen card you have here~"

"Kagura-sama!" Yukino cried out.

"Release her!" Erza shouted but halted once again when Venoma held her hand out once more. "Egh…"

"Now this is an interesting situation…" Venoma stared at Kagura's card with a widening grin. "Okay ladies. Let's take a vote! Which one of these ladies will die first?"

"W-What!?"

"You heard me~" Venoma chimed, allowing poison to engulf her hand. This poison was beginning to deteriorate the card, causing everyone's eyes to widen.

"W-Wait! Stop…!" Cana pleaded.

"Mgh…" Kagura's eyes began to open, and of course she was completely out of the loop since her defeat, so imagine her surprise when she awoke. "W-What…?!"

"This pretty little Mermaid or the drunk? Which one gets to watch the other die?" Venoma chimed. "Better hurry, my poison is known for spreading quickly, you don't have much time left to choose~"

"You vile…" Cana began to speak again but was silenced by another tug of her hair.

"Tick tock!~" Venoma rushed.

"Ngh…" Erza grit her teeth; this was a decision she couldn't make like this with so little time.

"Oh, too late, mermaid girl is the first to go!" Venoma allowed her poison to completely eat away at the card, reducing it to nothingness.

"K-Kagura…!"

"And now…" Venoma grinned while staring down at the growling Cana.

"I wouldn't be getting so ahead of myself if I were you." Minerva spoke while standing atop the rubble that had Yukino trapped. In her fingers, the card that contained Kagura. She was twirling it between two fingers before holding it out, using her Territory Magic to free Kagura from the space, who stood at the ready.

"Milady…!" Yukino let out a huge sigh of relief.

"Ah…" Venoma's brow twitched in slight annoyance at Minerva's intervention. Being distracted allowed for Erza to knock away Venoma from Cana with a shoulder tackle, sending the venom dragon staggering back a few steps before dusting off her kimono. "Oh…well there goes that. I suppose I'll just have to do this the hard way then."

"Are you in any condition to fight…?" Yukino asked Kagura. "Your wounds from before…"

"I'm fine." Kagura replied with a firm nod before unsheathing Archenemy.

"Good, because I don't plan on carrying you." Minerva remarked with a sly smirk.

A bright light wrapped around Erza's body, entering her Flame Empress Armor, the flaming sword right in her grasp. "So, ladies…are we ready to do this? I need to try and grab that sword…"

"We're with you, Erza," Mirajane nodded, a magic seal appearing over her as she entered her Sitri form, which held every last bit of magic she had remaining. Right now it was all or nothing.

"Four vs. little ol' me? Oh, this will be so much fun…" Venoma grinned, fangs bared towards Fiore's four strongest women. "Come at me now."

"Gladly." Kagura was the first to move, using her gravity to decrease the field of gravity around herself to make herself lighter. She closed in on Venoma within seconds, aiming a series of slashes at the venom dragon. To her surprise they were mostly avoided, though she did manage to graze the clothing and skin of the female before being kicked away to a nearby wall. "Oof…!"

Mirajane was next, using the flames from her Sitri form to speed forward within the blink of an eye. A fiery roundhouse was aimed at Venoma's temple, though it was blocked by her forearm.

"Try harder." Venoma taunted, but she got what she wanted as Erza attempted to land a fiery slash on her from the side, but this was also blocked by her other arm. "Not quite~"

"How's this, then?" Minerva followed up with a territory infused kick to Venoma's exposed stomach, kicking the woman with enough power to send her tumbling along the floor until she came to a stop by digging her nails into the ground.

"Ugh…" Venoma hissed in slight pain but was unable to even muster a counter as Erza was before her, aiming a fiery slash down on her. Venoma leapt back to avoid it but was caught by some of the searing flames, kimono burning as a result. "Watch the clothing!"

"That's the last thing you have to be worried about!" Mira exclaimed from above, dropping down with a dark magic infused foot aimed at Venoma's face; the dragon blocked it but Mira's strength resulted in the floor to crater severely. Mira flipped back, allowing Kagura to follow up with a singular slash across Venoma's chest, resulting in several other slashes to occur on contact.

"Gwah…!" Venoma cried out as her eyes widened from the pain.

"Look at them go..." Yukino watched in utter amazement as the four ladies did work.

"They're way too strong…" Cana chuckled before using what was left of her magic to free Yukino from the rubble that was keeping her pinned to the floor.

"Poison Fist!" Venoma exclaimed as Mira came in for another punch, however this one was avoided by the dragon and she slammed her fist covered in poison right at Mira's gut, sending her skidding across the alter before losing her balance and falling to the floor.

Erza changed into her Morning Star armor, lunging forward with the two blades in hand that crackled in green lightning. Once close, Erza aimed two slashes at Venoma, however both were avoided and Erza was kicked away, digging her blades into the floor before hopping up, now charging them with magic. The scarlet knight glanced at Minerva who merely gave a nod. "Photon…" Erza pointed her swords forward, and in that instant, Minerva used her magic to warp Erza right in front of Venoma's face, the blades pointed right at her. "SLICER!" The gigantic sphere of magic completely consumed Venoma who let out a loud scream.

As the beam consumed Venoma and dispersed, Kagura was running right alongside it, waiting for just the perfect moment to unleash her Gravity Change, heavily increasing the gravity around Venoma to keep her pinned to the ground. Mira was next, striking above while gathering dark magic within her hands. "Satanic Blast." Throwing her hands down, the burst of energy completely exploded upon the venom dragon. Venoma rolled along the alter before finally coming to a stop at Minerva's feet.

"Don't think you're out of the park just yet. Once a Tigress bites, she never lets go." With a wicked smirk, Minerva created a large sphere of Territory magic that she compressed to the size of a baseball, making its potency that much more dangerous. The sphere unleashed an enormous beam of territory that sent Venoma flying into the wall, causing it to collapse as a result.

"Whoa, look at that!" Cana was getting hype just watching them all kick ass.

"They're all so strong! There's no way she stands a chance!" Yukino grinned.

"I think we took care of that quite nicely, ladies." Minerva dusted her hands off before placing them on her hips…she then let out a slight cough…followed by a few more. "…What's this…?"

"I hope you didn't get the impression that I was done in by any means…" Venoma emerged from the rubble, bruised and bloody, but she was fine. "You must've been underestimating me. As for why you're coughing, my toxins have been spreading into this room for a while…odorless, tasteless…truly a silent foe. It won't be much longer before you completely succumb." While she spoke, Erza, Minerva, and Kagura all fell to a knee; Cana and Yukino covered their mouths and nose but couldn't help but cough as they felt weaker and weaker.

"Poison?" Mira questioned with a smirk. "I don't know if you noticed, but your punch didn't have any effect on me. Poison is nothing more than a demon's snack." When Mira finished speaking she began inhaling, starting to remove all of the toxins from the room.

Venoma merely giggled at Mira's statement. "You don't think I didn't take this into account? You're a little more naïve than you look…" She then snapped her fingers, causing the poison on Mira's stomach to explode. The force of the explosion is what truly caught Mira; her eyes widened and her jaw hung open as she collapsed onto the ground, twitching slightly as she reverted back to normal.

"M-Mirajane-sama…!" Yukino cried out.

"I can control my poison however I see fit, it doesn't matter if you're immune to it or not." Venoma stated while waltzing over a few steps in front of the Eternal Sword. "I knew Mii couldn't be trusted…she swore she took care of you. But it doesn't matter, because you'll be dying now…oh boooys~" On that cue, several dragon soldiers appeared and surrounded the females. "Make sure they don't pull any funny business. I want to watch them die slowly, got that?"

"This…isn't looking good…" Kagura felt her body growing numb slowly.

Minerva was the closest to the Eternal Sword; just a literal hop away. She stared at Erza, who was of course the furthest. In the blink of an eye, she used her magic to trade places with Erza, even faster than what Venoma could keep up with. "Erza!"

"H-Hey, wait!" Venoma shouted.

"HYAH!" Erza reached out for the hilt of the blade, beginning to draw it out as quickly as she could with all her remaining strength. She made some leeway before it stopped abruptly, a bright light shining and sparks began dancing around her body, inflicting pain of the highest degree on her; almost as if she violated a sacred order. "NGH…!?"

"Ah…" Venoma merely smiled, shielding her eyes from the light to get a proper view. "There it is…she's unworthy after all!"

" _Who are you? You do not bear the right to wield this blade. Release it now, or suffer pain worth one thousands deaths."_

"No…!" Erza replied defiantly to the voice. "I care not if I'm not the true wielder of this blade…I need to use its power so I can save them!"

 _"_ _Save them? Bold words…anyone can say that, however. What is your proof that you mean what you say? What is your conviction? You have not the will to bear the right."_

"No will!?" Erza took completely offense to that statement. I made a promise…" Erza grit her teeth while continuing to fight to pull the blade out. "I made a promise to Ena that I would save everyone I could, including her. My nakama are counting on me…I don't know why Mii told me to pull this blade out, but I'm putting my trust her. So let me use this sword, even if for a few moments!"

 _"_ _You are not the blade's destined wielder…but there is a familiar light about you that brings a smile to mine lips…Very well, Erza Scarlet. Show me your will…to bear the right!"_

After those words were spoken, Erza actually began to draw the blade out from its pedestal. The Eternal Sword was a blade nearly as big as Erza, radiating a purple light with its sharp edges. As soon as the blade was removed, Erza performed a single slash and completely cut through and dispersed the poison Venoma sneakily laid in the air. "Thank you."

"E-EHHHHH!?" Venoma's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets at seeing Erza wielding the blade. "T-THAT'S NOT POSSIBLE?!"

"She pulled the sword out…" Mira let out a minor chuckle. "That's Erza for you…"

"Now then. Who wants to be first?" Erza asked while pointing the large blade forward.

"D-Don't just stand there you idiots! Kill her NOW!" Venoma screamed. Venoma's orders were to be followed. The dragons lunged at Erza, but every single one of them was dealt with in a single slash, crashing into the wall with the might of the blade. "N-No…!" Venoma cried out.

"Retribution." Erza held the Eternal Sword in both hands and leapt into the air, coming down on Venoma with a powerful overhead slash.

"Wall!" In a panic, the dragon threw her arms forward to create a thick wall of poison to protect herself. No use. The Eternal Sword cut right through and through Venoma's very being; a piercing roar could be heard as Venoma tumbled backwards before hitting a wall in a sitting position, Erza now slowly approaching. "S-Stay away from me you…you monster!" She then threw her hand forward, unleashing a barrage of poisonous scales in Erza's direction…all of them being cut through like butter as Erza slowly continued to approach.

"This is almost scary…" Yukino whispered.

"I'd hate to be that chick…" Cana replied.

Erza was about halfway there when…the sparks suddenly returned. She let out a cry of pain before falling to a knee, struggling to even stand back up. "W-What…!?"

"What's happening!?" Kagura questioned.

"Let it go!" Mira shouted, but it was no use. Erza's hand was glued to the sword now as it punished her.

"The sword's rejecting her." Venoma smirked, holding onto her injured arm. "Whatever her will was…she's obviously wavering in it now. So the sword has deemed her unworthy and will now punish her with death."

"What's wrong, Erza?!" Cana asked. "Hurry up and take her out!"

"I…" Erza struggled to speak.

"I think I know what this is all about…" Venoma spoke tauntingly. "I remember hearing that the creed of your guild was never taking a life…I'm sure you were all prepared to follow through, but something stopped you. What was that something? Whatever it was, it seems to have you quite conflicted." Venoma slowly began to stand up, limping towards Erza with a poisoned claw extended. She was more than prepared to speed up this process. The venom dripping from her hand literally corroded the floor into nothing within a heartbeat.

Venoma was correct. Erza was conflicted. Mii's words really stuck with her now that she was in the moment. If she KO'ed Venoma, would she wake up with an insatiable bloodlust and put everyone injured at horrible risk? And if she killed Venoma…well…that thought process spoke for itself. "I…"

"How odd…" Jellal spoke from a window overhead, catching everyone's attention.

"You…" Kagura already began to shake visibly just from the sight of him.

"The Erza I know would come up with her own answer in times like this…she wouldn't even think about it." Jellal stated. "I've hardly seen a moment of hesitation from her when her family is in danger. I know she's one who always a makes the right choice."

Erza's hair created a shade over her eyes as she bit her tongue to prevent from crying out in pain. "Jellal…everyone…run…"

"So she's finally accepted her fate." Venoma chuckled. "That's fine with me. Don't tell them to run, because I'll hunt them down and kill them too."

"I'm not telling them to run because they're in danger…" Erza replied, a smirk now visible on her lips. The sparks instantly vanished from her body and she stood up. "I'm telling them to run because this is going to get messy."

"There we go." Minerva gave a slight nod.

"E-Eh…!?" Venoma's confident dropped and she took several steps back in a panic. "H-Hold on!"

At this point, Erza ran out of magic. She was just relying on the blade's power at this point to carry her through. "This is my answer!" Erza darted forward, creating several smaller 'copies' of the Eternal Sword floating above her head. These blades flew forward and impaled Venoma rapidly, keeping her stuck in place with binding properties; Erza then finished the job off with a single thrust that created several powerful shockwaves. "Miracle Blade!" Erza passed right through Venoma who stood tall for a few seconds before completely collapsing, eyes white in KO.

"She got her!" Cana cheered.

"That's the Erza I know…" Jellal gave a nod of approval. The joyous moment was cut short when the island began to violently tremble. "W-What!?"

"What's this earthquake…?" Kagura looked around before spotting Hibiki's countdown in the sky. 00:00. The Etherion Cannon was just about to fire on the island. "Are we really out of time!?"

Erza stared at the Eternal Sword before shaking her head. "No. I'll buy us some more time." Erza moved outside, whipping the blade back as a bright flourscent purple glow appeared around it. In one slash, a beam of energy was sent forward towards the incoming beam the Etherion Cannon fired off. The Eternal Sword's beam cut through the Etherion Cannon and hit the seal, causing it to malfunction.

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"What was that?!" Lahar gasped as the Etherion Cannon was overpowered.

"What power…" Siegrain mumbled. For some reason he had a feeling of who was behind this…and he wasn't sure whether to be annoyed, impressed, or both.

.

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"What was that all about…?" Shadowlore said while scratching the back of his head. "I thought we were actually done for a second!"

"Same here…" Daryan let out a heavy sigh while glancing at the dragon soldiers. They were on 'pause' so to speak, but they were still in the way as well. "Doesn't matter, we got some clean up to do…" His last sentence trailed off, his finely tuned ears picking up a particular voice…one that was all too familiar. "The hell…"

"What wrong, Daryan?" Tia asked, though she wasn't sure if she wanted to.

"You didn't hear that? That voice just now?" Daryan inquired, though the others in his group gave him an odd stare. "Really…? Was it just me…?"

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"Whew…that's a load off…" Luke let out the heaviest of relieved sighs.

"...I wouldn't relax just yet…don't you hear that?" Edna looked at the White Eclipse guild, most of them shaking their heads.

"No…I hear something…" Leon's voice lowered. "It sounds really familiar…"

"You too?" Selene blinked.

"I thought I was going crazy here…" Waiston nodded.

"I don't like the sound of that voice…" Heather's tone grew serious.

"No…this can't be possible…" Ena began to tremble from the overwhelming aura beginning to seep out from outside the isle. This was an unfamiliar, but terribly familiar aura at the same time.

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"You…you heard that too…didn't you, Wendy?" Cynthia stared at Wendy, who gave a slight nod after.

"I did…" Wendy gulped, her heart sinking to her stomach.

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"Ichiya-senpai!" Ren shouted while looking at the radar. "The radar is picking something up! Something huge is approaching, rapidly, too!"

"Men?" Ichiya blinked. "What on earthland could it be…? It's moving faster than anything I've seen…?"

"I don't like where this is going…" Gaia commented. "I know that voice too well…"

.

"You lied to me. You said you took care of the one who could hold the Eternal Sword…" Dhegensea glared at Mii, who just gave an ass eating grin.

"You sound so surprised that I'd lie to you by this point…" Mii giggled; it hurt to laugh in her condition but the pain was well worth it.

"It doesn't matter...not like that dull blade can do anything to me now..." Dhegensea remarked.

"Well, looks like we don't have to worry about running out of time now…" Natsu's grin widened to an almost evil one. "But your time is about to run out."

"Let's wrap this up and go home." Gray said while standing side by side with Natsu.

"In the name of Fairy Tail, we're going to take you down!" Natsu exclaimed, taking a single step forward only to stop in place, eyes widening as the noise that was afflicting the dragon slayers and dragons alike finally entered his ears. "T-That voice…"

"Impossible…" Dhegensea grit his teeth while staring out into the night sky. "I didn't think he would show up now of all times…!"

"W-What's going on…?" Mii looked to anyone for an answer, but she wasn't getting one.

"I wouldn't mistake that voice anywhere…" Natsu spoke with his body practically trembling.

Over the horizon, the wings of a dragon spread out. A deafening roar echoed for miles on end, shaking the very foundation of Earthland as a result. He was speeding towards the Isle of the Dragons at a breakneck speed, soon to arrive within minutes. The dragon slayers and conscious dragons picked up on this voice at last and only one name came to mind.

"Acnologia."

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Next Time: Dhegensea vs. Acnologia!


	61. Chapter 60: Dhegensea vs Acnologia

"So…he's finally arrived…" Zeref merely shook his head with a smile. "Now…for what reason? He after me…is he trying to eliminate this book…or is he perhaps here for Dhegensea? Only time can tell…"

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"Acnologia…!" Gajeel's eyes widened as he recognized the roar from miles away. He sat up and turned his attention to the sky while gritting his teeth. "Shit…at the worst possible time…!"

"Y-You mean that monster is on its way here!?" Lucy's eyes widened "No, this isn't the time!"

"What's it doing here…? I thought we saw the last of it with King…" Hisui bit her lip nervously. "Do we even have the means to fight it?"

"I'm not sure…" Lucy replied. "We can't deal with Dhegensea and Acnologia at the same time…!"

"This situation isn't looking good…" Ultear mumbled. "One heavy load off our shoulders only for a heavier loud to come right back on…"

"Yo…!" Cana ran into the room with the injured Yukino, Minerva, Mirajane, and Kagura. "You guys okay over here…!?"

"Cana…Yukino…M-Mira!" Lucy's eyes widened in delight upon seeing the eldest Strauss sibling. "I knew you were alive…no matter what they kept saying…"

"It's great to see you too, Lucy…" Mira had a soft smile on her lips. "I would like to see Elfman and Lisanna as soon as possible, but we have to do something about what's approaching first…"

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Acnologia rapidly approached the island, his mere flight causing rippling shockwaves in the ocean, creating tidal waves that spread out on all sides. Once he was within the island's space, he began to fly around, causing massive explosions to occur on various places on the isle. The Black Dragon let out a mighty roar that practically froze the soul of anyone who had ears.

"Evasive maneuvers! MEN!" Ichiya commanded. The members of Blue Pegasus shifted their flight path, just in the nick of time as Acnologia flew right past them. The strength of his flight caused the Christine to spiral out of control.

"H-Hold on…!" Jenny cried out while hanging onto something.

"We're out of control…!" Eve shouted.

"Stabilizing…!" Hibiki grunted; with a few quick inputs, the ship was back to how it should've been in the sky, but with Acnologia circling around it wasn't going to be long before it happened again.

"We have to get out of the sky." Ren looked to the others who gave nods of agreements.

Acnologia continued to fly around; one complete rotation of the island and part of it exploded, completely breaking off from the island into rubble. "Shit…!" Waiston covered his ears while watching Acnologia fly around. "That thing just flying around is causing all this destruction!?"

Acnologia flew above the island and began to inhale, gathering his destructive magic within his mouth as he prepared its devastating roar. "EVERYTHING. DIES." Acnologia's voice echoed throughout the ruined island.

"OH SHIT." Shadowlore exclaimed.

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"That dragon here now of all times?!" Dhegensea growled.

"S-So that's Acnologia…?" Mii struggled to speak. "He's…a lot more intimidating than I thought…"

"He's inhaling…!" Natsu grunted.

"Does he plan to destroy this entire area!?" Gray gasped.

"He said EVERYTHING DIES." Mii panicked. "W-What do we do!?"

"I WILL NOT ALLOW IT. I see I've no choice…all dragons born on this island…I command you to unleash your full potential! Acnologia and the humans must be destroyed NOW" Dhegensea flew into the air and a magic seal formed over his body; a pulse of magic flew throughout the entire island. Within a second, the Black Dragon King shifted to his full form, a large black dragon with red tinted wings. Before Acnologia could unleash his roar, Dhegensea slammed into him forcing him to fly back several miles, which were only a few yards to dragons. "Acnologia, you will leave my island this INSTANT."

"Dhegensea, I will take back what you've stolen from me." Acnologia wasn't going to waste time with words anymore. He flew forward with his fist reared back and slammed it into Dhegensea's face, the impact strong enough for Dhegensea to recoil backwards. Dhegensea immediately fired back, raising his fist up to slam it onto Achnologia's face, sending the Apocalyptic Dragon back a few miles. With a roar, the two dragons then soared higher into the sky.

"They're fighting…?!" Mii exclaimed. "I didn't expect them to be friends, but I didn't think they were enemies either…"

"Did you hear what he said about that dragons bit…?" Gray asked them.

"I have a bad feeling about this…" Mii admitted.

"Let's see what the others are doing." Natsu said. "I don't like where this is going."

"I hope at least someone killed one of those dragons like I told them to…" Mii mumbled while managing to bring herself to her feet, staggering slightly. She denied all offers for help. "I can walk…"

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Blues was sitting, still stuck on the death of Kuro. At the very least, he checked out what was left of the Mystic Water Lake after Juvia nearly drained it all to defeat Gaius. There was some left, but not enough for him to do anything substantial with it. With Acnologia's appearance, he was planning on meeting up with the others to see if they had a plan, but halted when he felt Gaius beginning to stir. "Shit…he's waking up already…!?"

"Mrgh…" Gaius placed one hand on the ground and his eyes shot open, revealing that reptilian look. A magic seal appeared above him and searing flames engulfed his body; in the next instant he transformed into a full-fledged dragon, letting out a mighty roar.

"WHOA!?" Blues staggered back several steps, but luckily for him Gaius wasn't focused on just him. Gaius instead began to walk around the castle to the city. "Oh shit…"

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Venoma slowly began to awaken, rubbing her head as she had to recall what happened; though those memories were cut short as a magic seal appeared above her, shifting her to dragon form within a moment's notice. Since she was within the castle, she no doubt caused most of it to collapse. This forced those already inside to flee to safety; the castle was in terrible condition now.

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"WRETCHED HUMANS!" Nasir awoke from his unconscious state; with an angered roar he transformed into his full dragon form, staring down at the humans with a wide smirk. "You've pushed me too far, and I'm glad…now I get the chance to completely devour you all."

"This…isn't wild…" Bacchus gulped.

"They're transforming…this situation isn't looking good…" Angel silently stuttered.

"We're starting to get outnumbered here again…" Ace's calculations of the situation weren't looking so good.

"At this rate, we're going to be wiped out." Joker bluntly stated.

"Always the downer…" Tia scoffed before pointing her scepter forward. "Well I for one refuse to go down without so much as a fight!"

"Rally 'em up sis!" Jack exclaimed. "We've been through worse, right!?"

"Speak for yourselves." Midnight muttered.

.

Edna gripped her head, falling to her knees while letting out a pained cry. "H-Help me…! I…!"

"Edna!" Ena was quick to kneel down at Ena's side. Ena was resistant to Dhegensea's commands because of Erza knocking some literal sense into her. "C-Calm down…! Just breathe…!"

"I…I can't….please get away…!" Edna demanded and Ena did just that. With a roar, the crystal dragon took her true form, towering above the others with her reptilian stare.

"Great…" Cygnus sucked his teeth. "How are we gonna deal with this one!?" Just then, Adam in his dragon formed tackled Edna away, letting out a roar to tell her to step back. "Oh, Adam! Nice timing!"

"Get back." Adam told the others. "Deal with the small fries; I'll take care of this one."

"You heard the man, back out!" Reve commanded White Eclipse and the others to take on the dragon soldiers; while they were full dragons they were smaller than the Commanders, which made them a little more manageable to deal with.

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And just like the others, Drake was transformed as well; he was the reason the weaker dragon soldiers took their forms. He glared down at the humans with a grin, licking his lips after. "I'll be sure to enjoy this."

"If it's not one thing it's another…" Carla grit her teeth. "How are we supposed to deal with this one…?!" Luckily for them, Gaia in her full form intervened and tackled Drake out of the city.

"You will not lay a claw on them!" Gaia gave growl, much like a mother protecting her children.

"Gaia…!" Alex let out a heavy sigh of relief. "I knew we could count on her…but…what are we supposed to do about all those other dragons?! There's no way everyone can hold them off forever…"

"Juvia, you still have that water, right?" Cynthia asked.

"Hai…" Juvia nodded…finally, an idea clicked into her head. "Juvia knows how to use this to save all the dragons!"

"And who would let you get away with doing that?" Kurthnaga returned, arms crossed while he stood in front of the group with a large grin. "I couldn't bear it if I just let his plans be ruined…I think you humans have done more than enough damage anyway."

"Kurthnaga-san…!?" Wendy gasped. "W-Why…!?"

"He's not on our side…" Juvia stated. She needed to get past Kurthnaga if she wanted to put her plan in motion. But she couldn't leave the others, they were far too exhausted and she was worried about him.

"Don't worry about it, Juvia-san!" Sting, Rogue, Frosch, and Lector rolled up onto the scene, Sting wearing a large, confident grin. "We'll take care of him! Go on ahead!"

"Thank you!" Juvia nodded and proceeded to run off.

"You smell of Eizen…" Kurthnaga's eyes narrowed.

"He's dead." Sting replied. "But he told us to do whatever we could to stop this chaos…I intend to hold my word…with my best friend at my side."

"Oh humans…such interesting creatures…" Kurthnaga shook his head as his aura began to expel from his body. I'm looking forward to tearing you all apart."

"We'll fight with you, Sting!" Cynthia proclaimed, her and Wendy standing right beside the Twin Dragons while Alex and Carla whisked Lector, Frosch, Chelia and Raven to safety.

"W-Whoa, Cynthia-san…How are you feeling?" Rogue questioned mostly because of Cynthia's current appearance.

"I feel better." Cynthia responded with a nod. "But I know I look terrible…I can fight, though!"

"M-Me too…!" Wendy quickly added on.

"Alright!" Sting pounded his fist into an open palm. "Let's show him what we're made of!"

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The battle in the sky between dragons was fierce. Acnologia swung his tail at Dhegensea, only for the hit to be completely avoided by Dhegensea soaring into the air. Acnologia then briefly inhaled before exhaling a gigantic breath from his mouth aimed at the sky. Dhegensea also avoided this, though the breath created several explosions in the sky that created multiple explosions. The Dragon King then flew in and reared his head back, slamming it into Acnologia's for a fierce deadlock. "Back down, Acnologia." Dhegensea commanded.

"I am the true Dragon King…I will not allow your false reign to strip me for what I already hold." Suddenly, Acnologia overpowered Dhegensea and sent him rocketing down towards the island, a large earthquake occurring from his impact…with Dhegensea out of the way and all the others dragons busy; there was nothing to stop him from preparing yet another roar…

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"I told you I'm fine!" Mii shouted as Gray attempted to help her.

"You're a liar." Gray responded. "Let's at least get you to Wendy or Aira…"

"What about Chelia…? Mii questioned though the look on Gray's face told it all. "I see…well, listen…I appreciate you two giving me a chance, but it should really be a group thing. I did mess things up for you all…so I'd rather my fate be determined by everyone else…and I'm sure a lot of them want me dead…" Before anything could be said, Dhegensea slammed into the ground and Acnologia was preparing to roar. "E-EEP!?"

"Wha…?!" Natsu's eyes widened but he felt a sudden pulse from his chest. "…Uh…?" That feeling wasn't just limited to Natsu; Waiston, Daryan, Selene, Blues, Wendy, Sting, Rogue, and Gajeel. Their heartrate was increasing without explanation as Acnologia was preparing to end everything. Suddenly, Natsu began having sudden flashbacks to his time with Igneel, hearing the dragon's voice echo in his head.

' _You've grown so much, Natsu…'_

"I-Igneel…!? W-Where are you hiding!?" Natsu's eyes widened as he heard his father's voice. A bright light began emanating from his chest. In a bright flash, Igneel suddenly appeared before Natsu, flames scattering from the throne room.

"I've been inside you this whole time, Natsu." Igneel explained before turning to Acnologia, eyes narrowing. The King of Fire Dragons flew forward and unexpectedly tackled Acnologia and interrupted his roar just as Dhegensea rejoined the fray. "Live, Natsu!"

Natsu looked into the sky, watching the three dragons stare each other down. Tears began to fill the eyes of the Salamander as his bottom lip quivered. "Dad…"

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Next Time: Flames Alight!


	62. Chapter 61: Flames Alight

"Igneel!?" Dhegensea growled at the sight of the King of Fire Dragons. "I knew I sensed your presence on this island…but I never expected you to be hiding within that boy…!? Are you going to stand in my way as well!?"

"I won't let either of you cause any more destruction." Igneel stated before inhaling, unleashing a massive beam of flames towards both Dhegensea and Acnologia. The two opposing dragons avoided the Fire Roar and watched as it flew off into the distance, creating a large explosion that expanded for several miles, clearly visible on the horizon from almost anywhere.

"A chance to destroy you both." Acnologia merely stated. "This is fine with me. I'll make sure not a single dragon lives by sunrise." With that, the three dragons ended up butting heads, a massive shockwave booming out from the collision.

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"Ugh…" Daryan was on a knee, panting slowly as the throbbing sensation in his chest faded away. "The hell was that about…?"

"Only the dragon slayers were affected by that…and only some of them…" Heartless stated. "Are you all okay…?"

"I think so…?" Selene said while rubbing the back of her head. "T-That…that felt really weird…"

"No kidding…I thought something was going to burst out of my chest…" Heather let out a small sigh of relief.

"Look, in the sky…!" Miliana pointed up to the three dragons fighting in the sky.

"ANOTHER dragon!?" Lyon clenched his hand to a fist. "That's just great…how are we supposed to deal with this now!?" Igneel unleashed another flame based attack, and from miles below everyone could feel the scorching heat.

"I-It's so hot…!" Diamond groaned.

"Wait…" Ena paused, staring at Igneel. It only took her a second to recognize the Fire Dragon, eyes widening and jaw dropping. "H-Hold on a second, I think that dragon is on our side! I think that's Igneel…!"

"I-Igneel…!?" Lisanna's eyes widened. "I-Isn't that the dragon Natsu's been looking for…?! W-Where is Natsu anyway…!?"

"He's in the throne room…!" Lucy, Happy, Yukino, Hisui, Minerva, and Kagura arrived on the scene. "At least, I still think he might be…"

"What are we going to do about all of this…" Hisui rubbed her arm. "It's a mess…"

"The princess is safe! One matter resolved!" Daryan attempted to sneak his arm around Hisui, but she stepped on his foot on instinct. "O-Ow…!?"

"S-Sorry…!" Hisui felt incredibly embarrassed for such a rude action; it was very unprincess-like. "I-I'm still in self-defense mode…"

"You really shouldn't apologize when it comes to these two." Magnus commented while also pointing at Shadowlore.

"I hate you." Shadowlore stated bluntly.

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"A-Are you three okay…?" Cynthia knelt beside Wendy whose breathing was slowly beginning to regulate. "You looked like you were in pain there…"

"I-I'm okay now…" Wendy nodded slowly.

"That was weird…" Sting shook his head before staring at Kurthnaga. "In fact, I'm feeling a little better now!"

"I agree…" Rogue nodded.

"Oh humans…" Kurthnaga shook his head. "You are so amusing…especially those wielding Dragon Slayer magic."

"Think you're so above us, huh?" Sting said with a frown curling on his lips. He then glanced in the sky, finally noticing the three dragons fighting. "Hey, what's that in the air…?"

"What?" Kurthnaga blinked, staring into the sky to see his father fighting against Acnologia and Igneel. "I-Is that…!?" And while Kurthnaga was distracted, Sting slammed his fist into Kurthnaga's jaw, sending him staggering back. "Guh…!?"

"Don't take your eyes off us!" Sting exclaimed.

Rogue moved in right after Sting, aiming a shadow infused kick to the Dragon Prince's head to knock him off his balance. He then looked to Wendy and Cynthia, who were just itching to abuse an opening. "Now!"

"Right!" Wendy and Cynthia nodded; the two girls leapt forward while pulling their arms back side by side. "Searing Claw of the Omega Flame Sky Dragon!" One of the many unison raids the two girls came up with; they slashed Kurthnaga and sent him soaring backwards until he hit the ground on his back, tumbling before coming to a halt on his two feet.

"He's still standing!?" Cynthia gasped in disbelief.

"No way…" Wendy frowned.

"I think you're beginning to understand…the limitations of your power!" Several black magic seals appeared sporadically around the area, unleashing large pillars that erupted on the ground. The pillars caught all four dragon slayers, sending them back quite the distance before landing on their knees. "While you were around fighting your battles, I only managed to lose my wings…" A magic seal appeared over Kurthnaga as he activated most of his draconian power, scales appearing on his arms and legs, fangs sharpening and his eyes taking a reptilian shape. "I'm still brimming with power!"

"Ugh…just what we need…an enlightened idiot…" Rogue shook his head.

"I liked him more when he was just a bit of a jerk to us…" Cynthia groaned.

"Agreed…" Wendy nodded.

.

.

"Does ANYONE want to explain what the HELL is going on here!?" Mii shouted though her cry was drowned out by sounds of fighting still occurring in the city and even in the sky. "Ugh…!"

"So that's Igneel…" Gray mumbled while staring at Natsu, who just kept looking at the sky as the dragons fought. "Can't say I expected that…Natsu?"

Natsu clenched his fist, flames suddenly erupting from his feet as he launched himself into the air, appearing as a small glimmer of light to those on the ground. "JUST WHERE THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU GET OFF IGNEEL!?"

"I found Natsu." Happy snickered from below.

"What…?!" Igneel heard Natsu's shouting from above, eyes widening to see his son rapidly approaching before latching onto his back.

"GOT YOU! NOW SPILL IT!" Natsu demanded while clinging onto Igneel. "Where the hell have you been, old man!?"

"Natsu!?" Igneel almost forgot how stubborn this boy was. He couldn't focus on Natsu at the moment as he had to avoid a roar of darkness from Dhegensea aimed at both him and Acnologia, one that was just narrowly avoided by both parties. Igneel then reached behind his back and grabbed Natsu, pulling him face to face. "Natsu. You're in the way."

"WHAT?!" Natsu's eyes widened and he began to comically flail about while in Igneel's hand. "You disappear on me and that's the first thing you say to me when you come back!? The hell is wrong with you!? Where did you go!? Where are the other dragons!? There are so many things I have to tell you!"

"Now's not the time…" Igneel gestured to the other dragons he was fighting, but it didn't seem like Natsu cared about that at the moment, he just wanted answers. "Okay…wait, you've joined one of those guild places right?"

"Uh…Yeah…" Natsu replied with a nod.

"Okay…then…" Igneel glanced around, noticing the city covered in battles before spotting Kurthnaga handing it to Sting, Rogue, Cynthia and Wendy. "There we go. See that over there? Kurthnaga, the Dragon Prince." He pointed down at their direction. "Looks like your friends are having a little bit of trouble with him, and he can't be allowed to remain fighting."

"So that bastard is still around, huh…" Natsu stared at Kurthnaga before turning back at Igneel, giving a blank expression while crossing his arms. "So what's my reward?"

Cue the comical sweat drop appearing on Igneel's forehead at the question. "W-What..?"

"Yeah, I'm in a guild. If you're giving me a job you gotta pay me for it!" Natsu replied.

"How about….everything you wanna know?" Igneel offered.

"Good enough for me!" Natsu nodded with a wide grin on his lips. "Now what are you waiting for?!"

"Heh…" A smirk curled onto Igneel's lips before pulling his arm back, allowing Natsu to reposition himself. "Go get them, Natsu!" In one swift motion, Igneel threw his arm forward, sending Natsu rocketing towards the ground towards Kurthnaga.

"I'M ALL FIRED UUUUUUPPP!" Natsu's voice echoed through the sky as he appeared as a flaming bolt, rearing his flaming arm back. "KURTHNAGAAA!"

"Oh?" Kurthnaga turned to see the incoming Natsu at high speeds. Natsu swung his fist in time with Kurthnagas's a power struggle occurring for a few seconds before Natsu slid back across the ground with a smirk; Kurthnaga was standing in a crater after the collision. "You!?"

Natsu darted forward, not giving Kurthnaga any leeway while pulling his free arm back, flames blazing on it. "Fire Dragon's…!"

Igneel reared his own fists back, flames alight. "Fire Dragon's…"

"IRON FIST!" Both Natsu and Igneel slammed their flaming fists into their respective targets; Natsu into Kurthnaga and Ingeel into both Dhegensea and Acnologia. The force of the punch was more than enough to send the targets soaring away.

"W-What power…? H-He wasn't like this yesterday…" Kurthnaga's eyes were wide as he pulled himself from the rubble.

"N-Natsu-san?!" Wendy was surprised to see Natsu literally dropping in.

"Yo!" Natsu waved to the others, eyes landing on Cynthia. "Whoa, Cynthia!? You look…different."

"Don't remind me…" Cynthia sighed.

"Oi, Natsu-san! You wanna take this guy out together!?" Sting suggested with a grin. "With all five of us, I think it's possible!"

"You know, Sting…" Natsu crossed his arms before giving a nod of agreement. "I think you might be right. But I have to say no."

"No…!?" Rogue tilted his head. "Why would you say no…?"

"Because Igneel wanted me to take care of this guy, and I intend to on my own." Natsu responded.

"That dragon is I-Igneel…?" Wendy stammered. "No way…"

"Ah, I see…" Sting rubbed the back of his head before getting an idea. "So how about a little friendly competition? Sabertooth vs. Fairy Tail, let's see which one can take out this guy first? How's that sound? Unless…you're afraid, Natsu-san?"

Ooooooh, that was one way to get Natsu to cooperate. He couldn't resist a challenge, especially when his bravery was put into question. "Cynthia! Wendy!" Natsu shouted to the two younger slayers. "Don't just stand there! We can't let them take it!"

"T-That worked…?" Cynthia blinked slowly before shrugging. "O-Okay…!"

"Are you done bickering?" Kurthnaga sighed. "We don't have all night."

"You're right! We'll have you done within a matter of minutes." Natsu grinned, slamming his fists together as flames erupted around his body. "All right, let's go!"

"I think tricking him into this was a little wrong…" Wendy whispered to Sting.

"It was the only thing that would work…" Sting replied quietly with a shrug.

.

.

"Iron Dragon's Roar!" Gajeel exhaled a funnel of iron shrapnel upwards, aimed at Venoma's chest. It was a direct hit but to say it did damage was a completely different story; the roar dispersed shortly after. "Nothing…!?"

"These dragons are something else…" Daryan remarked.

"Reminds me too much of what happened after the Grand Magic Games prior to the one you idiots ruined…" Gajeel commented.

"You guys just keep holding grudges…" Daryan let out a heavy sigh.

"You humans and your bickering…" Venoma brought her foot down; creating a pool of venom around her that corroded everything within a few yard radius. Gajeel, Cobra, and Daryan leapt away to avoid being consumed by the poison.

"Poison doesn't frighten me…" Cobra stated. "But I don't plan on letting someone else's vile toxins enter my body. It's a quiet temple, after all."

"Don't flatter yourself, giheh…" Gajeel commented. Unfortuntely their bickering left them open and Venoma's tail slammed into all of them, sending them right into a building that collapsed on them shortly after. "Ugh…"

.

"DIE!" Acnologia tackled Igneel, crashing into the ocean as a result. A massive tidal wave occurred as the two dragons began battling deep in the earth, several pillars of flame and darkness erupting from various places in the ocean. Their fighting was so intense the ocean actually split apart to give them open ground.

"Fools…" Dhegensea hovered above the ocean where the two dragons were fighting and formed a sphere of darkness within his palm. "Perish within Darkness…" Dhegensea hurled the sphere into a hole and it exploded, creating a dome of darkness that expanded for several miles.

All remained silently for a few seconds before Igneel flew from the ground with his wings ablaze, catching Acnologia in the chest and forced the dragon for a ride as he flew into the air. "Fire Dragon's Wing Slash!" He then caught Dhegensea on his free wing and took them high into the sky above the clouds, where shortly after another explosion occurred, though the cause of it was unknown this time.

.

"Those three are going to completely destroy this area at this rate…!" Hisui said as the island suffered the aftershocks of the three dragon's brawl. "P-Plus there are those dragons…!" Adamantine was still facing off against Edna, Gaia against Drake; Waiston, Leon, and Blues were facing off against Gaius; Heather, Selene, Laxus, and Takeru were facing off against Nasir, while the others dealt with the mini dragons.

"P-Please, just keep fighting everyone! I'm sure the end is in sight…!" Ena pleaded.

"I didn't sign up for this…" Shadowlore said with a stale expression as the island continued to shake.

"Shut up and keep fighting!" Lucy demanded.

"I'm on it, I'm on it…!" Shadowlore complained.

"I hope I didn't miss anything!" Gray shouted while sliding into the combat with a slight grin on his face. "Looks like you could use some help down here."

"What timing, Gray!" Lyon said with a growing smirk. "Now is the perfect time for me to show everyone just how much stronger I am than you."

"You think now is the time, asshole!?" Gray had an angered tick mark on his forehead. "Because you're totally on!"

"Just what we needed…boys being boys…" Minerva could only roll her eyes in annoyance at the ice make users.

.

"Roar of the Omega Flame Sky Dragon!" Wendy and Cynthia both inhaled before unleashing their respective roars, releasing a mixture of wind and omega flame towards the defending Kurthnaga. The blow struck and the Dragon Prince was sent skidding across the ground, but he dug his talons into the earth to prevent from being thrown back too far.

"White Dragon's Drill Kick!" Sting moved in the second the unison raid was done. With white dragon slayer magic wrapped around his leg, he delivered a guard piercing kick that pushed Kurthnaga off the ground and through several large piles of debris.

"Gack…!" Kurthnaga actually let out a grunt of pain upon hitting the last pile of rubble. He had no time to rest as Rogue appeared from behind by use of traversing the shadows, aiming to slash his back. Kurthnaga took the hit, but he ended up grabbing Rogue as soon as the attack was done and tossed him right into Sting with incredible strength.

"Lightning Flame Swordhorn!" Natsu sprang forward with flames and lightning wrapped around his body; he slammed himself into Kurthnaga's stomach and forcefully took the Dragon Prince into the air. All was going well until both the lightning and fire was forcefully snuffed out. "Wh…!?"

"Dragon Skin…" Kurthnaga grinned before taking a hold of Natsu and hurling down to the ground below with a minor tremor from impact. He then turned to those on the ground while giving a grin, flapping his wings to send beams of darkness towards the other dragon slayers.

"Natsu-san!" Wendy cried out in worry for the dragon slayer, but then turned her attention to the incoming beams of darkness. "Sky Dragon's Wing Slash!" In a futile attempt to deflect the beams, Wendy swung her arms forward to create a massive twister that was only pierced through; the beams struck her, Cynthia, Sting, and Rogue, and exploded on impact. "Ugh…"

"He's really strong…" Cynthia panted.

"I am my father's son, after all." Kurthnaga grinned.

.

"Nothing we're doing is even scratching these guys now…!" Laxus grunted in annoyance as his Lightning Dragon's Roar nearly bounced off Nasir's scales. The dragon slayers and other mages were having severe trouble damaging the transformed dragon commanders. While their magic was effective, it wasn't effective enough to the point where damage was being dealt. The troubles continued to spread and the situation began to look rather dire.

"We didn't fight all day just to have it end here, did we? Because if so I'm gonna be really pissed when I go to heaven…" Takeru remarked.

"I hate to say it, but I'm not the only one running out of magic here…" Selene regretfully admitted. All the fighting was starting to get to her and her magic was beginning to run thin.

"You too?" Heather silently sucked her teeth.

"This is where your stand comes to an end, you little insects!" Nasir flapped his wings once, creating a severe wind storm that picked up the slayers and threw them into various places roughly.

.

"Anyone got any ideas..?" Blues looked to the others and they shook their heads. "Great…we're sinking slowly…"

"Just keep hitting it until it dies!" Waiston offered.

"I thought we were trying that?" Leon tilted his head to Waiston and blinked.

"Enough!" Gaius stepped on the ground, unleashing a massive wave of heat and flame that spread out to consume the three slayers. "This is where it ends!"

.

"They're way too strong…" Yukino admitted with a gulp. "I don't think we'll be able to win this one…"

"There's gotta be some way…!" Lisanna was hopeful.

"Never give up, humans!" Igneel's voice echoed from the sky. It wasn't much longer before both Dhegensea and Acnologia crashed down onto the ground, creating a minor earthquake, but that wasn't the most shocking part. Igneel was standing over them both with his hands around their necks, both of their eyes closed. They were unconscious. Igneel wasn't the only one to have finished his battle; Adam put down Edna, while Gaia took down Drake. "For the dragons that have now been set free…are dancing in the skies of this lsland!"

.

"I-Ichiya-senpai…!" Hibiki glanced at the radar once again. "T-There are several large things rapidly approaching…A-All at once!?"

"W-What!?" Ichiya stared at the radar, thoroughly confused on what this could mean.

.

It was all so quick there was hardly any time to take it in. Two dragons landed on the isle standing right in front of Gaius, letting out a roar that forced the fire dragon to take several steps back. Blues' eyes widened as he immediately recognized one of the dragons standing in front of him. It was his own. "A-Aquareon…!?"

Waiston's jaw nearly dropped at the sight of the Frozen Dragon before him; his foster mother, Tunundra. "T-Tunundra?!"

.

Metalicana dropped down in front of Venoma, and right beside him was a dragon completely composed of bones; Daryan's dragon: Skeletalus. "W-What the…!?" Daryan nearly flew back from being so caught off guard. "It can't be…!?"

"That's not…" Gajeel was having a hard time believing this.

.

Grandine, Skiadrum, Wessologia, and Adamantia (Selene's foster mother) landed in front of Nasir, all of them giving soul piercing glares to the sky dragon.

"W-Whoa now…?!" Selene's eyes widened. "T-These are more dragons, but…!"

"I heard you were the one that dared to lay a hand on my daughter." Grandine spoke to Nasir in a low, threatening tone.

.

"I-Is that Grandine…!?" Wendy's nose immediately picked up the scent.

"I see them too…" Rogue nodded slowly. "Skiadrum…Wesslogia…"

"T-There's no way this can be happening!?" Kurthnaga stared at the dragons that appeared in disbelief. "T-that dragons from 400 years ago…t-they're honestly still alive?! Father's down?! This can't be happening!?"

"KURTHNAGA!" Natsu shouted from above. He didn't even give the Dragon Prince time to recover as he ruthlessly slammed his fist downward onto Kurthnaga's skull, driving him into the earth in a vicious KO. "We weren't finished yet."

.

.

Next Time: Extinguished Flame.


	63. Chapter 62: Extinguished Flame

It was over before it even started. The dragons that arrived on the isle to aid the humans completely destroyed the isle's inhabitants. Gaius, Nasir, Venoma, Kurthnaga, Edna, Drake, the dragon soldiers, Acnologia, and even Dhegensea were all defeated. And now…there was a lot…a LOT of explaining to do. First things first, Ena ran up to Igneel who kept his grasp around the downed Dhegensea and Acnologia. "Y-You are Igneel, yes…?" Ena stuttered while looking up to the Fire Dragon King.

"Yes, that is I…it is good to see you again, Ena. You've grown quite a bit since I've last seen you." Igneel nodded.

"Y-You remember me!?" Ena then found herself bowing repeatedly apologetically. "I-I'm so sorry for all the trouble my father has caused! I never thought that he would do something like this and put everyone in danger! So, so sorry!"

"She didn't even do anything wrong…" Lucy let out a minor giggle, though she appreciated Ena's apology to them, and to Igneel.

"You did nothing wrong, therefore you don't have to apologize." Igneel said while shaking his head. "I always knew that he would try something of this scale eventually…I just never expected it to be during this time. But the crisis has been avoided."

"Just barely…" Hisui let out a huge sigh of relief. "There have been quite a number of close calls today and I think the stress has sufficiently cut down a number of years of my lifespan…"

"I don't think you're the only one with a rise in blood pressure after everything today…" Yukino said while rubbing her temples. "Today's been quite the day for us…I just want to go home and sleep now…"

"Agreed…" Lisanna said with a heavy sigh. "Everyone looks like they're out of magic…but I haven't seen Erza in a little bit…and Mira-nee is still…"

"What were you saying about me?" Mira appeared before both Elfman and Lisanna, giving a soft smile.

Lisanna's eyes widened, tears immediately running down her cheeks. "M-MIRA-NEE!" Without a second though she tackled her elder sibling down to the ground, followed right by Elfman for a family hug. "I-I knew you were still alive!"

"I told you I wasn't going anywhere." Mirajane smiled softly, though she couldn't help but wince since she was still injured. "I wouldn't leave you both like that. It was a little hard, but I didn't intend to break my promise."

"My sister is as Manly as ever…!" Elfman wept.

"Isn't that sweet…" Even Tia couldn't help the tear of happiness that ran down her cheek from the Strauss family reunion.

"Did you just shed a tear…?" Strong glanced at Tia with a look of disbelief.

"No." Tia immediately denied the accusation, but hushed when Ace wrapped an arm around her shoulder.

"Hey, enjoy the scenery." Ace remarked with a slight smile.

Heartless tilted her head, obviously not quite understanding the emotion herself but she got a feel for it with everyone's reactions. So she forged a smile on her lips before staring at Joker, who was rather apathetic about the situation. "It wouldn't hurt for you to smile."

"What do I look like? A human?" Joker scoffed at the thought. "I'm serving for Dealer's purposes, don't expect any more of me."

"Can't you just command him to smile? I bet it would look stupid funny!" Jack chuckled.

"Do it and I'll kill you." Joker shot.

"Geez…still so violent…" Diamond rolled her eyes.

"As long as it's not directed at us…" Spade gave a nervous laugh before both Tia and Diamond had a firm grip on his ears. "O-Ow!? Watch it…!?"

"Oh, don't even think the three of you are off the hook yet. We have a LOT to talk about when we get home." Tia scolded Spade, Ace, and Heartless.

"Hey…" Lucy began looking around. "Has anyone seen Erza…? I think she's the only one not accounted for…I haven't seen Mii since she ditched us, either…"

.

"Okay, let's pause for a second!" Daryan shouted while pointing at Skeletalus accusingly. "I'm 100% certain that I killed you! What are you doing alive?!"

"I thought Daryan said he killed you?" Hikaru, Dayran's adorable exceed, pondered aloud to the bone dragon.

"Yes…" Rogue nodded in agreement with Daryan while staring up at Skiadrum. "I'm certain that we killed you…"

"So what are you doing here in front of us?" Sting questioned Wiesslogia.

"AH!" Skeletalus let out a hearty laugh before looking to Skiadrum and Wiesslogia. "Do you want to explain this, or shall I?"

Wiesslogia could only roll his eyes at Skeletalus before beginning to explain the situation. "Though Igneel was against it, we took the liberty of altering your memories. We wanted you to know what it was like slaying a dragon; therefore we changed your memories to make it appear as though you did kill us. But in reality, we've been inside you the entire time…and when the time called for it, we showed ourselves."

"W-wait…" Daryan began sweating profusely. "T-The entire time…? So that means…"

[Flashback: Darkness Rises: The True Dragon Slayer]

"You see…you third generation dragon slayers, well, most of you, I assume, have killed a dragon right? No…let me rephrase that…you killed a SICK and WEAK dragon," Daryan said with a nod.

"Only because they wanted us to!" Sting shouted rather defensively.

"Bullshit! Anyone can defeat a weakened opponent! You see, I am a TRUE dragon slayer! Meaning that I, Daryan Skeletalus, had killed a dragon at full power!" Daryan exclaimed, resulting in audible gasp from everyone. "You see, I had knowledge that the dragons would be leaving on the seventh day of the seventh month on X777! And I adored my dragon ever so dearly, so I did the only thing I could do to make sure he wouldn't leave me; eat bones. And that's exactly what I did…I ate his bones."

"A-A dragon…" Gaia's eyes widened, completely taken aback even more than everyone else, being a dragon herself. Her expression told those who knew her secret that she was unaware of this.

"He killed a dragon…?" Adam asked while raising a brow, interested to see how someone such as Daryan was capable of such a feat.

"D-D-D-Daryan has just admitted to killing a full powered dragon!?" Chapati spoke in disbelief, and not a single person around could blame him for speaking that way.

"The perfume of this man has turned bitter...sour..." Ichiya commented from the side, his eyes narrowing. "Men..."

"YOU DID WHAT…?" Natsu asked as he started to move forward in anger, but Lucy gripped his arm tightly, preventing him from moving.

"YOU HEAD ME DRAGNEEL!" Daryan replied to Natsu's shouting, looking around at all the looks of disbelief. "You don't believe me? " Daryan shrugged, snapping his fingers after, which created a magic circle in the air; the magic circle then dropped full sized dragon head skeleton on the ground. "I kept the head, so that way he'd stay with me forever, love right?"

"That's not what love is…" Chelia said while frowning deeply at the sigh before her.

"YOU…" Sting clenched his fist, unable to believe what he was seeing. Even Rouge, who usually opted not to show so much emotion, was unable to hold back the anger rising within him as he clenched his fist alongside Sting, but he kept silent.

"Oh, and now it's time for a reality check for you Dragon slayer; your dragons? Yeah, stop looking for them, because they aren't coming back; ever. So stop looking for them, because they ARE GONE, NEVER COMING BACK! IF they really cared about you, they wouldn't have left you right!? As for your weak sick dragons, you shouldn't have any pride or whatever because you slayed them; how can they even be considered dragons at that point?" Daryan nodded, but his comment really hit home for the other dragon slayers who could barely hold back their boiling anger, especially after that.

[End Flashback]

"Yikes…I…I'm looking pretty stupid right now, aren't I…" Daryan let out a very nervous laugh as he recalled his oh so confident outburst.

"Only 100% stupider than usual." Melody said with a widening smirk.

"Thanks…" Daryan rolled his eyes at Melody before reaching over and wrapping an arm around Kagura's shoulder. "But hey, Dad! That aside! This girl here is…!"

Before he could finish Kagura stepped on his foot and jabbed his stomach with the hilt of Archenemy, causing the 1st generation dragon to crumple to the ground. "Don't touch me like that again or your head is coming off."

Skeletalus merely let out a chuckle at his foster son's folly. "I expected no less from you…you haven't changed a bit."

.

Grandine leaned forward, eying Cynthia rather curiously. Cynthia began sweating slightly, wondering if Grandine thought she was odd because her draconic features had yet to disappear yet. So the little girl just kept quiet and almost forgot how to breathe until Grandine finally spoke. "So Wendy, are you going to introduce me to your friend? I think she forgot how to breathe."

"O-Oh!" Wendy let out a small laugh. "T-This is Cynthia! She's my best friend and she means more than the world to me! She's made me a lot stronger since we've met, too…"

"Is that so?" Grandine had a soft smile. "Well, thank you, Cynthia, for befriending my daughter."

"A-Ah…" Cynthia sheepishly rubbed the back of her head. "She befriended me…but I owe her a lot, even if she's stubborn and denies it."

"I think you're both a little stubborn, actually." Carla remarked.

"They totally are." Chelia giggled.

.

Metalicana stared right into Gajeel's eyes, remaining silent for a few moments before finally speaking. "I see you still got that vile look in your eye."

Gajeel immediately took offense to that. "What the hell is that supposed to mean!?"

Levy found herself giggling at the interaction between Gajeel and his dragon. "Aheh…"

"Wha!? That's not funny, shrimp…!" Gajeel exclaimed in a comical fit of rage.

"It's a little funny." Levy responded.

"Just a tad." Pantherlily commented.

.

"Do you want to explain why you left? Why did you abandon me!?" Waiston shouted at Tunundra. "You left me in the cold alone that day…what was I supposed to do!?"

"I'm sorry, Waiston…" Tunundra lowered her head. "I couldn't explain it to you then, but it was for your good…the other dragons have no doubt said the same to their children as well. But I see you still kept that jacket I gave you…" She gestured to the one he was wearing right now.

"Of course, it was all I had." Waiston replied with a slight cough, looking away to keep his cool.

"I'm glad I got to see what kind of a person you got to grow up to be, Waiston." Tunundra said with a soft smile.

"You're not going to leave again, are you?" Blues asked Aquareon, sadness evident all over his face. "I don't want to be alone…I already lost Kuro…"

"You don't have to worry about being alone." Aquareon gestured to Quatro Cerberus. "You've already found a group of fine young friends, I'm sure you're aware of that."

Blues turned to look at QC, a soft smile spreading onto his lips. "Yeah…"

.

"You've grown into a strong young woman…" Adamantia said to Selene, who was basically clinging onto her. "I'm proud of you, Serena."

"I missed you…" Selene said while clutching onto her mother's leg. "Even though I know why you left now…I still wish you hadn't…"

"We never truly left…" Adamantia said with a small grin. "We were inside you all this entire time, producing antibodies that would prevent you from turning into a dragon. Overuse of your magic does that, but now we don't have to worry about those chances anymore…but there is one thing…we cannot stay for long. Since we're already dead…and we cannot return back to your bodies…"

"This is a lot to take in…" Luke said while scratching his head. "I'm a little lost even now, honestly…"

"So the dragons did vanish…but not truly…?" Zalen pushed his glasses up. "This is something to wrap our heads around all right…"

"It was only a matter of time before they showed…" Adam stated while returning to his normal form, covered in scrapes and bruises.

"I'm just glad they arrived when they did…" Gaia said while letting out a heavy sigh. "This kind of work is starting to become a little too much for me…"

.

"We have to leave soon." Grandine said, causing Wendy to frown.

"N-No…you just got here…! I wanted to tell you all about what happened after I lost you…!" Wendy cried.

"It's okay, Wendy…" Grandine gave a soft smile as a light began to wrap around her and the other dragons, save for Igneel. "I've been with you every step of the way, and you've grown into a strong young woman…I'm so proud of you. I love you, Wendy!"

"I love you too!" Wendy's tears began to flow, but Cynthia pulled her into a tight embrace.

"Hey…see her off with a smile, okay…?" Cynthia pleaded.

"Y…Yeah…" Wendy held back her tears for now and waved her mother goodbye with a smile.

.

"…And you still got that vile look in your eye." Metalicana smirked as he began to disappear.

"THOSE ARE YOUR LAST WORDS?!" Gajeel shouted, but on the inside he was feeling a bit of sadness; finally reunited with the dragon that raised him briefly, only to have to say goodbye once more. One by one, the dragons started to leave; Metalicana, Grandine, Skeletalus, Wiesslogia, Skiadrum, Adamantia, Tunundra, and Aquareon.

"So they're leaving…" Ena stared up as the dragons began to vanish.

"Igneel!" Natsu finally made it to Igneel's location, panting softly due to how fast he had to run to catch him. "The job's been done! Now spill the beans!"

Igneel nodded. "As you may have heard…we dragons were inside your bodies to create antibodies to prevent dragonification…it was also a way to salvage ourselves after Acnologia attacked. The Magna Carta was put in place…a way of us dragons always watching over you humans, however Dhegensea violated that law and attempted to rule mankind on his own. Luckily, even at half strength, we were able to put an end to his plans…But Natsu…there is something more you must know. This is about the book of E.N.D."

"Eh…?" Natsu tilted his head. "I heard that name before…"

"Whatever you do…you mustn't allow that book to fall into the wrong hands. You mustn't destroy it, nor can you open it…just put it somewhere that no one can ever find it, do you understand me?" Igneel's gaze lowered.

Meanwhile, Gray ended up muttering. "I can't allow that."

"I got it…" Natsu nodded. "But what's so important about that book…?"

"That book is…" Igneel started, but stopped when the eyes of Acnologia opened.

"DESTRUCTION!" Acnologia freed himself from Igneel's grasp and sank his teeth into the Fire Dragon's chest, causing Igneel to let out a roar of pain and everyone else to back away. Blood spurted from the wound before the two dragons were suddenly fighting in the air again. "DESTRUCTION!" Acnologia repeated.

"I-IGNEEL!" Natsu shouted in worry.

"G-Get back!" Ena pulled Natsu away from the falling debris despite his obvious want not to move.

Dhegensea finally awoke, eyes shooting open and he took to the sky after the other two dragons. "I WILL NOT ALLOW YOU TO STOP ME!"

"FATHER STOP!" Ena pleaded.

"I will eliminate all that stand before me!" Acnologia charged towards Igneel and Dhegensea. Everything occurred in slow motion as all three dragons flew past each other within the blink of an eye. Igneel snatched Acnologia's arm right from its socket, holding the severed limb in his mouth; Acnolgoia tore of one of Dhegensea's legs…but Igneel got the worst of it all: his entire side was torn apart; he was essentially half a body. Igneel fell towards the island as Acnologia prepared one final roar.

"IGNEEL!" Natsu cried out, tears beginning to form in the corners of his eyes.

"Natsu…I'm glad to have seen you grow up…there is one thing I will never forget…that you gave me the power to love humans…" Those were Igneel's last words as Acnologia unleashed his roar upon the falling Igneel. A large explosion occurred and the ocean raged while the isle trembled. Igneel's charred carcass fell somewhere on the island with a large thud. Meanwhile, the injured Acnologia flew off without his amputated arm.

"…." Natsu was speechless; he couldn't even utter any words.

Though he was missing a leg, Dhegensea gently hovered above the island, staring down the humans with a wicked expression. "I will allow nothing to stop me now…I've come too far to have my plans halted. Even if I do it alone, I will follow Fate's order!" With a roar, a blanket of darkness spread from the island onto the mainland; Dhegensea activated Night Tide once again, only this time the island wasn't affected by the darkness. Instead, everything out in Fiore and the other countries was covered in a blanket of darkness that no light could pierce through.

"T-This again…!?" Lucy's eyes widened as she looked out to the mainland, but she couldn't see anything.

"I-I can't see anything…!" Mirajane panicked slightly while huddling closer to her siblings.

"Keh…" Kurthnaga's reawakening couldn't have occurred at an even worse time. He shrugged off the 'KO' blow Natsu delivered and planned to stalk the humans just to see how things would play out. Even though the other commanders suffered defeat, Night Tide was enough to revive the dragon soldiers, while not in their full forms, still posed a threat regardless. In Kurthnaga's eyes, this was in fact the end for the humans and their fight.

"This is no good…" Ena panted heavily while staring at her father. With everyone just about exhausted and out of magic…there was hardly anything to stop Dhegensea. "Is this the end…?"

.

.

Next Time: Miracle.


	64. Chapter 63: Miracle

[A few minutes prior.]

Mii and Erza had a stare down. Erza had many questions for Mii, while Mii had only one request of Erza. "I want you to kill me." Mii stated flat out, causing Erza's eyes to widen.

"E-Excuse me!?" Erza wanted to see if Mii was going to rephrase that in any way or take it back.

"You heard me." Mii said while averting her gaze. "I don't think I want to live anymore. I didn't realize just how much bad I've done in my life until those two idiots decided to spare me even though I didn't deserve it. So why keep someone around who doesn't even do any good? I'm better off dead."

"Is that so…?" Erza tightened her grip on the Eternal Sword's hilt. "You truly wish to die?"

"I know it's against your creed or whatever…but I'm nothing special, so it won't even matter." Mii replied with a soft shrug. "So will you run that blade through me?"

Erza shook her head slowly and took a few steps towards Mii. "You really want to die…" Once Erza was within striking distance, she took the blade and jabbed Mii harshly in the stomach with it, causing her to fold over and fall to her knees.

"Guh..!?" Mii coughed, wincing in pain while placing one hand on her stomach, green eyes staring up at Erza. "T-The hell was that for…!?"

"You want to die without even knowing what it's like to live?" Erza questioned, just now taking into account that Mii was actually feeling pain. "This is the first time I've seen you show any emotion aside from the lax attitude you usually have…and now you're feeling pain. These are all things that let you know you're alive, Mii."

"Ugh…" Mii groaned while staring down at the ground. "I'm only asking for something that would help everyone…why do you choose NOW of all times to not believe me."

"Because I believe you're a good person inside." Erza replied. "You protected those stuck on this isle for a little while…you saved Kagura, Chelia, and Raven's life…you led the lost Mirajane over to me, and you led me to this blade." The list of the actual good Mii had done really did outweigh the bad. She saved several lives at the end of the day. "I want you to live life a little bit more before asking someone to kill you. And don't come to me with that request ever again, ask someone else."

"…." Mii's kept silent…until things started going to utter shit with Igneel dying, Acnologia flying off, and Dhegensea once again spreading Night Tide. "H-Huh…!? What's going on…!?" That question was answered quickly when she spotted the towering dragon that was Dhegensea hovering just slightly above the island. "O-Oh no…"

"I don't have any more time for your antics…figure out what you want to do, Mii. If you don't by the time this is over, then we'll decide for you. And you may not like the results." Erza turned away, hurrying towards the others deeper in the city while leaving Mii alone with her thoughts.

.

"I thought we were done!?" Shadowlore complained while staring at Dhegensea. "What are we supposed to do against that!?"

"There's nothing you can do!" Kurthnaga said with a wide grin. "Father is going to unleash his true power and there's not a thing that can be done to stop it!" The dragon prince laughed.

"Kurth…" Ena grit her teeth while staring at her brother. To think her brother and father could've fallen so low, it honestly irritated her.

"This guy is really annoying me…!" Cynthia didn't even think about her next action; she just lunged forward headfirst with darkened red flames, slamming right into Kurthnaga's chest to carry him quite the distance away.

"C-Cynthia…!" Wendy didn't have to think about it either; she hurried off to catch up with Cynthia. If the two were going to fight off against Kurthnaga they had to make it quick.

"Well, looks like they're going to take care of that…" Reve held his hand out, bringing forth his infamous six chambered magnum into his hand. Though small, that gun contained every ounce of magic the S class had left within his body, all stored within six bullets. Reve took aim at Dhegensea and released a massive bullet half the size of a large field towards the King. It was a direct hit, but the damage dealt was hardly noticeable. "What…!?"

"Not even a scratch?" Laxus scoffed. "You're slacking, Volver."

"Nothing you can throw at me can penetrate my dragon scales!" Dhegensea mocked.

"He's not wrong…" Ena mumbled. "Mine, Kurth's, and Father's scales are tough…they can be worn down with Dragon Slaying magic but that would take too much work, and we don't have that kind of time…!"

"That information would've been useful a long time ago!" Cygnus shouted at Ena who merely cringed. Now wasn't exactly the right time to yell at her but the situation wasn't good for anyone.

"Black Pillar." Dhegensea merely raised his hand and a gigantic pillar of darkness erupted in the city, attacking all of the mages and various screams of pain were heard into the pillar died down. That was practically it right there, everyone was seriously injured and could hardly put up a fight.

"Ngh…" Lucy laid on her side, feeling everything going blurry. It was a miracle they were all still alive somehow. Perhaps Dhegensea held back so they could witness all the hope fade away as they were powerless to stop it.

"F-Father…please…stop this…" Ena pleaded.

"There's nothing that can stop me now!" Dhegensea threw out that cliché line because well…it fit the situation. Though he felt the slightest slash across his chest that inflicted some pain. "Wha…?"

Erza leapt from a ruined building, slashing the Eternal Sword along Dhegensea's chest; however the damage she did wasn't nearly as much as she expected it to be. "W-What…? That didn't…!?"

Before Erza could fully land, Dhegensea grabbed her within his hand and held her tightly. "Wielder of the Eternal Sword…how you vex me so with your existence, even when the blade isn't truly yours to command. But it matters not…it's amusing how you believed that dull blade was going to actually harm me!"

"N-Not even that sword could do any damage…!?" Gaia grunted in pain. "But I thought it was supposed to keep them in check…I don't understand…"

"The Eternal Sword's power has been dulled." Dhegensea explained while Erza was trying to free herself from his grip, but to no avail. "It's true power could cripple me in a single blow, I admit…however your knight here isn't worthy of using the blade's true potential, therefore it's useless in her hands. She may have defeated one of my subordinates with it, but that's all the power she'll have access to."

"YOU BASTAAAAAARD!" Natsu's voice echoed out somewhere below the city. It didn't matter where since he rocketed himself into the air by propelling flames from his feet, fire and lightning flaring around his body as he slammed himself into Dhegensea's chest. The sudden and unexpected impact was just enough for Dhegensea to lean backwards. Natsu pushed himself off Dhegensea's chest while inhaling. "ROAR OF THE LIGHTNING FLAME DRAGON!" Opening his mouth, the Salamander unleashed a gigantic funnel of fire and lightning that shot out for miles on end, splitting some of the ocean apart as a result.

"I found Natsu again…!" Happy flailed while the island quaked violently once again.

"That kid just doesn't know when to quit…" Gildarts said with a slight grin.

Natsu began to fall back to the sky, but he was yanked into Dhegensea's grip roughly, now being held in the opposing hand Erza was in. "Fool!" Dhegensea growled. "Did you really think that you could fight against fate!?"

"Who cares about your stupid destiny!?" Natsu growled. "Igneel…Igneel…!"

"This is why you humans are all the same…" Dhegensea shook his head. "No matter how strong you think you are, you can never truly escape fate. That was your fatal mistake…believing you could fight against what could happen."

"T-…That's where you're wrong, father…!" Ena shouted. "Humans…humans are wonderful beings!"

"What nonsense are you shouting, Ena?" Dhegensea scoffed at his daughter's words. "Humans are fools! They fight against something they cannot win against!"

"And that's what's so wonderful about them…!" Ena rebuked. "When I believed this island was truly in danger…they agreed to help knowing full well what they were getting into…and they came back to try and save us despite seeing what happened. Sure…humans can be evil…they may be like babies to us…they may stumble, they may fall off their own path…but the most admirable thing about humans…is that they fight to protect their future! They keep moving forward!"

"This is where their path ends!" Dhegensea shouted. "Don't you see? They're surrounded by dragons within my pitch black darkness and exhausted, there's nothing in this world that can save them now!" Right after he said that, he felt a drop of something….it was water…no….it was rain. "What…?" A light drizzle suddenly turned into a downpour of sparkling water. The Mystic Water rained down on the isle; the infected dragon soldiers let out roars before shifting back to their human forms in a completely dazed and confused state. "W-What…?! How is this possible…!?"

Juvia was standing on one of the highest buildings in the city that had yet to be destroyed. The water mage panted heavily but there was a look of satisfaction on her face. "Juvia…made it…" Without another word she collapsed and fell unconscious, having strained her body too much during the final stretch of the day.

"It doesn't matter…!" Dhegensea shrugged this off. "I alone will partake in this task! I alone will spread darkness throughout the human world!"

"N-No…you won't…I won't allow it!" Erza grit her teeth while speaking, a bright light forming around her body. "MORNING STAR!" That bright light, she was confident it would be their salvation.

"It's useless! Nothing can pierce through my darkness!" Dhegensea growled.

.

.

Bisca couldn't see a damned thing with the expanded Night Tide. It really looked like she wasn't going to be able to do much to help everyone when she knew they needed it. That was…until she saw the faintest of light glimmering in the distance. That was all she needed for a target. "If that's not your light, I don't know what it is." Bisca said aloud before charging the Jupiter Cannon to full power, unleashing one hell of a beam that traveled across the ocean towards the isle. To anyone else, this would've been a blind shot. But this was Bisca Connell.

.

.

"I WILL-!" Dhegensea was going to continue going on his rant, but the beam of the Jupiter Cannon struck his chest directly. The enormous power forcing him to release Erza on the top of a nearby building while Natsu was on a crash course with the ground, but an injured Happy narrowly saved him before lifting him off to safety.

"I knew you'd pick up on that…" Erza said with a soft smile to herself.

"That shot…" Milliana was no doubt incredibly impressed with Bisca's marksmanship.

"Talk about a shot in the dark…!" Jenny said while attempting to look over the black horizon. She didn't even where it came from.

"Still think you can make a shot like that, Reve?" Aira questioned.

"You forget who you're talking to…but I admit there's some competition after that…" Reve replied.

"Lucy, Yukino…!" Hisui limped over to the two celestial mages. "I have an idea in mind, and I need your help for it…"

"What is it…?" Yukino asked. "How can we help?!"

"With your help…the three of us are going to cast an ancient spell…something strong enough that should break apart this darkness." Hisui replied.

"What's the name of this spell…?" Lucy tilted her head.

"Gottfried."

Ena stood up slowly, swaying from side to side before calling out to all the inhabitants on the isle. "Everyone…please hear me out! I understand you may be confused at what's happening…but I need you to listen to me! The isle is in danger! The people are in danger! I need you to lend your strength to me…the Eternal Sword! Please awaken its true power!" Though the dragons didn't understand what was going on, they could hear the urgency within Ena's voice, and the people adored Ena. Most of them loved her as a ruler than Dhegensea or Kurthnaga. The magic energy sent went directly towards the Eternal Sword, causing it to radiate with power before the violet blade turned into a bright orange, nothing but pure power emanating from the blade.

"Whoa…" Erza stared at the blade in her hands before knowing exactly what it was she needed to do. Erza leapt forward with all her strength and reared the blade back, cutting deep into Dhegensea's chest with the Awakened Eternal Sword; it was a blow that landed directly, Dhegensea let out a roar of pain placing a hand on his chest. Meanwhile Erza crash landed somewhere at the very least, she cut through his invincible scales and left him vulnerable.

"NOW!" Hisui shouted. She, Lucy, and Yukino were knelt down on the ground and all joined hands. She began reciting the incantation, a yellow aura appearing around her and the other two celestial mages. Stars began forming within the blanket of darkness known as Night Tide and the aura around the three mages was now larger than ever. "GOTTFRIED!" The aura spiraled upwards towards Dhegensea along with the stars shining together, completely engulfing the Black Dragon King. Dhegensea let out another roar as visible cracks of light began to form within the darkness before it completely shattered.

"W-We did it…" Lucy gave a weary smile; the clothing of all three ladies was basically reduced to nothing. Lucy, Yukino, and Hisui all collapsed and fell unconscious immediately after using the spell.

.

Natsu and Happy landed in front of Igneel's corpse. Despite everything going on, Natsu couldn't help but stare, finding the tears filling his eyes again. "….Dad…"

"Natsu…" Happy frowned as Natsu was crying. He didn't know what to do.

 _"_ _What are you crying for, Natsu? You're supposed to dry those tears…don't let my death stop you. Use this to grow stronger…show me how you intend to live your life, my son…"_ Igneel's voice faded slowly as his corpse vanished into red light; even as Igneel vanished, Natsu could feel a fire burning in his chest.

"Yeah…I'll show you, Dad! I'll show you how I live my life! And I'll start…by beating Dhegensea!" Natsu exclaimed.

.

The wounded Dhegensea reverted back to his human form, limping around with only one leg. This was bad…he was going to lose and die…especially after all the work he put in. But no…he wasn't going to let it end like this. The Sacred Gem was still in play…his last hope. He extended his hand, summoning the gem from the basically ruined castle and swallowed it. A bright light shone from his body as he completely shifted forms…something not quite like a dragon, but nothing like a human either. A mix of both, so to speak; but this didn't fix his missing leg. "This is…not over…yet…"

"There he is…" Natsu slid to a halt in front of Dhegensea, Gray right next to him. "Alright Dhegensea…it's time to bring this to an end!"

"You two continue to vex me so…" Dhegensea growled before throwing his arms to his sides, creating a sphere of darkness that consumed all three. "This will be your final resting place then…!" This darkness wasn't Night Tide, it was just his own little personal arena that he wanted to crush Natsu and Gray in. Dhegensea threw his arms forward again, trapping the two Fairies in dark spheres that began to drain away their life force and magic. "Black Dragon's Cage!"

"GAH!" Natsu and Gray both yelled, but neither of them were able to find a way out of the spheres…they were the only two left who could fight…

.

"Ooof…!" Cynthia and Wendy tumbled along the ground, coming to a halt on their stomachs. Kurthnaga was really throwing them around and he wasn't holding back.

"I don't see why you continue to fight…" Kurthnaga was annoyed. Everything was derailing unexpectedly. He was about to attack Cynthia, but Wendy was using the last of her strength to stand in front of her and defend her. "What…? Why are you defending her? She's not even human anymore. Have you seen her? An ugly failed experiment of a dragon…"

Those words cut deep. Cynthia could see a reflection of herself in a puddle left by the rain and her gaze dropped. "…"

"Cynthia…is Cynthia!" Wendy exclaimed, causing Cynthia's eyes to widen. "It doesn't matter what she looks like…she's still the same Cynthia! The same Cynthia I'd risk my life for no matter what…because she means so much to me…"

"Human sentiment…" Kurthnaga scoffed.

"Wendy…" Cynthia smiled softly while standing up. "…I can't let you protect me all the time…that's my job…! Because of you…I know what it means to live…and I've made my own meaning of life…that day when you saved me. It was to protect you, no matter what!"

"You bore me with this…can this end!?" Kurthnaga growled in annoyance.

"We'll be ending this…" Wendy said with a firm nod, omega flames and blue wind beginning to circulate around her; Omega Flame Sky. Cynthia did the same thing, entering Omega Earth Flame, and with their dual mode transformation complete, the two girls sped forward at the same towards Kurthnaga with their arms held out next to one another; wind, omega flame, and earth surrounding them, forming a claw of triple elements.

"TWIN CLAW!"

Normally, Kurthnaga wasn't going to be afraid of two little girls…but these two? Something completely different. The look they both shared was equal to that of a true dragon, one more terrifying than him. "W-Wait a moment…!" He was prepared to intercept their charge, but he failed. Cynthia and Wendy both leapt headfirst towards him with their 'claw' extended. The both of them pierced right through Kurthnaga's chest while his eyes were wide. Kurthnaga slowly collapsed backwards with a lifeless look in his eyes.

"W-We did it…" Wendy gave Cynthia a high five before exiting her dual mode, slowly falling onto her stomach as she blacked out. "Natsu-san…"

Cynthia was in the same position as Wendy, as her magic ran out the dragon features that stained her body slowly faded away. "Gray…"

 _"_ _The rest is up to you…"_

.

.

Even while trapped within the Black Dragon's Cage, Natsu and Gray could both feel Wendy and Cynthia's words. This was it; the time to end this was now. Their eyes shot open and Natsu incinerated the cage around him while Gray completely froze his cage and let it shatter to harmless shards of ice. The two of them then slammed their fists into the off guard Dhegensea's face, driving him into the ground of his darkness. "Leave it to us!"

.

.

Next Time: Legacy of Igneel.


	65. Chapter 64: Legacy of Igneel

"Even now you dare to stand against me…this is why I cannot stand your kind…tenacious until the very end…" Dhegensea growled towards Natsu and Gray. "I'll be sure to enjoy this…you're going to pay for your insolence…!"

"Enough talk!" Natsu shouted while holding his arms out to his sides, fire and lightning blazing around his body once again as he planned to stay in Lightning Flame Mode this time. "In the name of Fairy Tail…and for Igneel, I'm going to take you down!"

"Right…" Gray was standing right beside Natsu, giving a firm nod. "This is where it ends for you, Dragon King."

"We shall see about that." Dhegensea maneuvered around the darkness in a manner that was nearly untraceable. Natsu and Gray had an extremely hard time following Dhegensea through the darkness. That was until he was right in front of them swinging his hand down fiercely in attempt to crush the two of them, but they evaded by jumping in separate directions. "Tch!"

"Iron Fist of the Lightning Flame Dragon!" Natsu swung his dual elemental fist at Dhegensea's just, but it was blocked by the Dragon King's large forearm. Despite the successful block, Dhegensea found that he was sliding back several feet from Natsu's raw strength.

"Grrr…!" Dhegensea pushed Natsu away with his superior strength, though Gray used this time to move in an aim a punch covered in Devil Slaying ice aimed at Dhegensea's chest. This one was easily blocked and the Devil Slaying had little effect on him. "This is no place for a slayer of demons…" Dhegensea scolded Gray before raising his one leg to kick Gray into the air.

"Guh…!" Gray let out a grunt of pain, tumbling in the air before regaining his momentum, twisting his body to land on an angled platform of ice. Gray flipped, creating several more platforms to gain momentum before lunging down at Dhegensea headfirst with ice coating his head. "Ice Devil's Headsmash!" Gray slammed himself right into Dhegensea's rib, and while his magic wasn't too effective the overall force was enough to deal some damage. Since Dhegensea was softened up from the Eternal Sword strike from earlier.

"Gnk…!" Dhegensea grit his teeth from Gray's attack before grabbing ice maker by his back and harshly throwing him onto the ground within the darkness with a small quake. He then formed a blade of darkness within his grasp and raised it over his head. "You'll be the one to die first."

"Gray…!" Natsu wasn't going to be able to save Gray in time.

Dhegensea brought the blade down, only for it to be stopped by an iron blade. "What…?"

"Gihehe…" Gajeel within Iron Shadow grinned towards Dhegensea before pushing the Dragon King back, looking over his shoulder to look at Gray. "Sorry, Gray, but I'm not letting you steal the spotlight from me this time. I already missed one finale, I'm not gonna miss another!"

"Gajeel?!"

"How did you get in here…!?" Dhegensea questioned while allowing his blade of darkness to disperse.

"Darkness, shadows…same thing…" Gajeel shrugged before giving Dhegensea a fangy smirk. "Gihehe…doesn't matter either way; since you're gonna die in here. Salamander, what are you standing there for? I don't mike taking all the glory, though."

"Like I'm gonna let you take this from me!" Natsu said with a competitive growl. Now it was Natsu and Gajeel standing side by side in their dual modes while staring down Dhegensea. The Lightning Flame Dragon and the Iron Shadow Dragon were prepared to face the Dragon King. Meanwhile Gray was going to be their support in the event things went south.

"LET'S GO!" Natsu and Gajeel roared at the same time while darting towards Dhegensea. Gajeel made the first move, rearing his iron fist back. "Pole of the Iron Shadow Dragon!" Gajeel extended his arm out, morphing his arm into an iron pole that raced towards the dragon king at breakneck speeds. Dhegensea merely leaned to the side to avoid it, but this only caused Gajeel to grin. "Where do you think you're going!?" From the pole, several smaller poles extended and shot out, clipping Dhegensea in various places.

Natsu ran along Gajeel's extended arm. When close, he grabbed onto an extended pole and swung around in a complete circle, aiming his lightning flame coated foot at Dhegensea's skull, but Dhegensea flew into the air to avoid being hit. "No you don't!" On that cue, almost as if he and Gajeel were on the same wavelength, Gajeel lifted his extended arm into the air and flung Natsu higher into the air.

"What!?" Dhegensea turned to see that Natsu was somehow above him.

Natsu clasped his hands together, flames and lightning surging around his conjoined hands. "Jaw of the Lightning Flame Dragon!" A move inspired by Laxus; Natsu swung a vicious hammer fist down at Dhegensea's skull, the impact rocketing the dragon king back down towards the ground violently.

"Iron Shadow Dragon's Spikes!" Gajeel placed his hand in the darkness, creating several spikes of iron and shadows that rose up from the pitch black ground, waiting to meet with Dhegensea as he landed. It was rather successful, too, as he was impaled in several areas from the spikes. The spikes were then withdrawn and Natsu landed once again. "Heh, is that all you got!?"

Dhegensea growled at the two of them before inhaling, just unleashing a massive roar towards the two dragon slayers that threatened to serious injure or even kill them if they were hit by it. Luckily for them, Gray had their backs. "Ice Make: Rampart!" Gray slammed his hands on the ground, creating a gigantic wall of ice in front of them. It wasn't enough to even hold off the roar for more than a few seconds, but those few seconds were precisely what the dragon slayer duo needed. The ice wall crumbled and Gray was staggering back, but Natsu and Gajeel were no longer standing where they once were.

"Where did they go!?" Dhegensea demanded to know of Gray. But even though the ice fairy was unaware, he had a smirk on his lips. Natsu emerged from somewhere within the shadows, soaring past Dhegensea with a Lightning Flame Wing slash, striking the king with the dual elements before disappearing back into the darkness; however Natsu did this left Dhegensea bewildered. "How…!?" It happened again. Natsu was just entering and exiting the darkness and Dhegensea had no clue how this was happening. Finally, Natsu emerged from the darkness once more, and Gajeel emerged from the other side; Gajeel was using his Iron Shadow to traverse the darkness along with Natsu. The two dragon slayers reared their fists back and aimed to slam them against the dragon king's skull, but he blocked them with both of his arms, creating a major clash. "The two of you shall die together." Dhegensea then pushed the two into the air, followed by powerful beams of darkness that consumed the both of them, shouts of pain escaping both Natsu and Gajeel before they began to descend in what looked like an unconscious state.

"Shit! Natsu, Gajeel!" Gray quickly formed a bow of ice within his grasp, unleashing a vollet of arrows towards Dhegensea in attempt to buy his guildmates some time, but Dhegensea flew into the air and easily avoided all of Gray's shots.

"Now, die!" Dhegensea swung two blades of darkness down at Natsu and Gajeel…but luckily Gajeel was the first one to awaken, throwing out his arm to defend himself while Natsu just happened to block the hit upon awakening. "Guh?!"

"Now!" Natsu and Gajeel twisted their bodies as Dhegensea aimed a spinning slice at both of their heads, just evading the deadly blow.

"Secret Art!" Gajeel began using the darkness as substitute for shadows; a vortex of darkness wrapped around Dhegensea while several sharp weapons composed of iron were all pointed at the trapped Dragon King. "Iron Shadow Dragon's Slicing Tornado!" The weapons began to slice and impale Dhegensea, who let out a constant growl and roar of pain until the attack finally dispersed. But once it did, Gajeel and Natsu were already set up; Natsu had his feet to Gajeel's iron pole arm, which was sent forward so Natsu could get a head start.

"This is where it ends, Dhegensea!" Natsu roared as scales began to form along his body. He entered Dragon Force, golden flames fiercely flaring around his body. "SECRET ART: CRIMSON LOTUS, EXPLODING PHOENIX BLADE!" The golden flames around Natsu took the shape of a spearhead and he rammed right into Dhegensea's abdomen, rising high into the darkness until the flames dispersed and Natsu began to fell backwards, a grin on his lips at the shocked expression on Dhegensea's lips as he faded into the darkness. Natsu landed on his feet, wobbling before the scales receded.

"Is that it…?" Gray questioned, prepared to congratulate the two on their victory, but that was short lived as beams of darkness began to rain down from all angles, not even giving them a chance to breathe. A collective yelp of pain escaped all three mages before the beams receded, and they were all down on their knees.

"D-Does nothing kill this guy?!" Gajeel panted heavily.

Dhegensea reemerged, injured, angry, but he had a wicked smile on his lips as they were finally down. This was the beginning of the end to him. "This is where it all ends…" Dhegensea stated with a slight grin, forming a single blade of darkness in his grasp. Gajeel attempted to move but Dhegensea merely used his tail to knock Gajeel right into Gray, the two wounded mages being unable to move much after that. Dhegensea stared down the growling Natsu while pulling his blade back. "Goodbye, son of Igneel."

Natsu closed his eyes and waited for the impact…that never came. "Huh..?" Mii was standing in front of Natsu with the sword plunged right through her chest. The female coughed up some bloody while standing her ground, groaning softly in pain…but she wore a smile on her lips all the same. "Mii? What are you…?!"

"I was told…I have to try this thing called 'living' before wanting to die…" Mii said with a pained groan. "I can see that living is putting others before yourself right…? Well, ironically…I've never felt more alive than I do right now…!"

"Chosen!" Dhegensea growled angrily at Mii's interference. "How did you get in here!? Your existence is nothing now, yet you still continue to vex me so. I'll gladly get rid of your worthless life here and now!" Pulling the blade from Mii, he formed another one to slash at her side. This one was enough for Mii to let out a cry of pain while being thrown off to the side, tumbling along the darkness before coming to a halt on her side.

"H-Heh…" Mii's vision began to grow a little blurry as she began to black out…but she had a smile on her lips despite this. "I'm just a denizen of the dark, no matter what…but at the very least, I can serve as a guide to those who are in the light…isn't that right…Erza…?"

"Time to put an end to this"! Dhegensea brought one sword down on Natsu, but it was blocked by a familiar orange blade. "H-Huh?!"

Erza blocked Dhegensea's strike at a rather awkward angle due to the urgency. The time she had left to hold the Eternal Sword was running out, so she had to move quickly. "Ngh…!"

"Wielder of the Eternal Sword, you continue to irritate me as well…but once you release that blade it'll all be over!" Dhegensea swung his other blade, so Erza merely pushed Natsu out of the way while the blade cut her side.

Erza let out a scream of pain and felt her hand beginning to loosen on the blade. If she let it go it would've been over for sure. Natsu's eyes narrowed as he was thrown back by the S class; he landed on his feet and quickly lunged forward with his hand forward, wrapping it around Erza's so she would keep a grip on the sword. Together, the two of them impaled Dhegensea with the blade and kept it lodged inside his chest; more importantly, right where the Sacred Gem was inside him, his source of life. "Erza, let it go!"

"Hai!" Erza understood. The time was now to finish this for good. With the blade firmly stuck in Dhegensea's chest, Erza released the hilt and leapt off to the side where she practically crumpled in pain after.

"Y-You…!" Dhegensea was coughing up blood, actually feeling his limit starting to set in, but as long as he had strength he was going to fight…that was until several iron poles rose from the ground, keeping him locked in place.

"Shut the fuck up…you talk too damn much…." Gajeel panted while hunched over.

"Y-You really think this will hold me in place!? Dhegensea struggled against the iron poles, beginning to break one of them.

"I've had enough of his voice…" Gray said while bringing one arm up his face, merely uttering three words. "Ice Make: Silver." With that chant, devil slaying ice began to spread throughout the darkness until it completely froze Dhegensea solid. "NATSU!"

"I'M ON IT!" Natsu said while landing on the ground, staring down Dhegensea with nothing but hatred. "This is for all those dragons you've used…you've hurt…for the people that died trying to fight your reign...for Ena…for Igneel…" The flames around Natsu flared immensely as a dragon tattoo briefly inscribed on his arm: Blaze Dragon King Mode. With Igneel's power, Natsu was going to finish this. Natsu lunged forward with blistering heat and flames backing up him…arm was pulled back one final time for the finale. "FLAME DRAGON KING'S DEMOLITION FIST!" In that instant, Dhegensea could see it. He could see the spirit of Igneel living on within Natsu. The Salamander swung his fist at the frozen Dhegensea only for an explosion of scorching flame to occur; the flames completely incinerated the darkness around them to bring them back to the isle. The last thing that Dhegensea could utter was a roar before he was incinerated and broken apart into nothing more, while the Eternal Sword just vanished, its time being spent by Erza coming to an end…Natsu landed on his stomach with a thud, looking at the exhausted Erza, Gray, and Gajeel with a smile as the Blaze Dragon King mode faded. The battle was won. "That's what happens…when you mess with us, you bastard…"

.

.

The next morning, everyone was rested up, though still injured severely from the battle the day before. Even though things were better, there was still one loose end the heroes needed to tie up…and they didn't have a choice in this matter. Mii mysterious vanished from the scene of the final battle, people assumed she just left without a word, but why would she after her recent actions? As it turns out…a small fraction of those who still follow Dhegensea were outraged by her actions and plan on sentencing her to public execution…

To be continued in the final chapter!

Next Time: Final Chapter: To Let Live, Or Die?


	66. Final Chapter: To Let Live, Or Die?

The sun was finally rising on the island of the dragons. A long, hard fought day was finally won…but that wasn't the only thing in the skies above the island. There was an airship just leaving the island, flying off to the north. This was a heavily fortified airship with the symbol of the Pergrande Kingdom on it. Inside the ship were several soldiers, Brax, Laura, and Nercon. Nercon tapped her foot while staring at Laura for a while before looking at Brax. "What is your report, Brax?"

"It was just as you believed, Lady Nercon. We had traitors among us." Brax reported. "Xen, Lex, Laura, and Lucius; I cannot make any assumptions no Wes, for he was doing the original task he was assigned and was defeated far too soon."

"Oh, I see…" Nercon shifted her gaze to Laura. Though she wore tinted sunglasses, Laura could feel the general's gaze pierce through her soul. "Pray tell, what happened to the traitors?"

"Lex was defeated by a mage by the name of Laxus Dreyar from Fairy Tail, Lucius suffered a defeat by those same mages as well…now Xen, he was an interesting story. A young girl who used the hidden 'Third Origin'…long story short, in a few years' time that girl was no doubt going to surpass one of you Generals. It was quite frightening, actually. She struck some fear into our poor Xen, you should've seen his face. He was already dead, but I finished the job for him. Lucius just got rather sloppy once he found I was the mole."

"I see…" Nercon gave an understanding nod. "And lastly…what is your report on the subject? I believe it was Lucy Heartfilia, yes?"

"W-Well…" Laura gulped. She didn't have permission to speak but she had the most experience with encountering Lucy. "After having several encounters with her…the special whistle did have a strong effect on her. Her eyes did have that crimson glow…"

"So what are you saying, Laura?" Nercon leaned forward, instilling fear into the woman's heart. "Don't mince your words, speak."

"I-I…" Laura cleared her throat, emerald gaze avoiding Nercon's gaze. "I believe I can safely say that she has somehow has been infected with the Lambda Virus…" Just hearing that name caused some of the eavesdropping soldiers to gasp. Nercon turned and they all hushed to mind their own business. "But it doesn't look like the virus itself has truly taken effect…it just awakens now and then…but it's still dormant…"

"The Lambda Virus…" Nercon adjusted her shades while crossing her arms. "Hm…that will be quite troublesome if left unchecked…I'll have to ask our King what he thinks on the matter, though I'm leaning towards speeding up the production of the Protos Heis project…oh, speaking of our King, he's sitting in the back of the airship as we speak."

"My liege is here…!?" Laura's eyes widened in fear. Oh, and if Ashnard caught wind of her treason…

"Oh, don't you worry your pretty little head about this, Laura~" Nerocn cooed while patting Laura's head. "My King has already heard about your treason with the others, but unlike them, your sentence will not be death. As I told you, any failure results in your title of commandant being stripped from you. You are no longer a Commandant for the Pregrande Army. You are back to a girl who works back in my services, and as such, for your treason…90% of the money you make will go entirely to me, and to make it even sweeter, your price will be reduced and you will always be available."

"W-What…" The color from Laura's face drained as Nercon was explaining her new terms. "B-But…!"

"You know I take good care of my girls, so don't worry about any expenses other than frivolous things." Nercon then giggled cruelly while snapping her fingers, gathering the attention of all the soldiers in the room. "Your reemployment starts now. These soldiers are allowed to have their way with you, for a price of course, because I don't do free. I better not hear anything about you complaining about it, or I will make your sentence that much tighter."

Laura gulped slowly and gave an understanding nod. If she even made a peep of disagreement, it would just be worse for her. "…"

"Good girl. Come Brax, we've an audience with the King." Nercon ushered Brax to follow her to the back of the ship where the King awaited, while Laura was going to be…busy the entire trip back to Pergrande. Brax could only give Laura a shrug before heading off with Nercon.

.

Walking to the back of the airship, the King of Pergrande, Ashnard was sitting on a large chair, watching several lacrima screens. The face of the King was hidden in the shadows; however one could not mistake his large stature and bulky armor for anyone else. "What have you to report?"

"My King…" Nercon began. "It appears the Lambda Virus has indeed escaped into Fiore, and has now found its way into the body of that Lucy Heartfilia. The traitor is likely dead by this point…but what shall we do about it? I recommend Protos Heis…but…"

"Nercon my dear, worry not." Ashnard spoke. "I'm aware of everything that occurred on that island."

"Y-You are…?" Nercon tilted her head. Everyone knew better than to question Ashnard's methods but Nercon was the obvious exception. "How so, My King?"

Ashnard shifted one of the lacrima screens to show Mii Koryuji. "This girl. I'm sure you remember her well, my lovely assistant in the Holy War two decades ago. Mii Koryuji…otherwise known as the 13th Commandant of Pergande."

"That girl?" Brax tilted his head. "She did look a little familiar…but I had no idea otherwise."

"I toyed with her memory some…falsified somethings while hiding away others. She has no idea that she truly belongs to Pergrande, nor does she know that I see everything she sees. Her eyes have been put under a spell that allows me to see what she sees…everything she learns is everything I learn, and she is not the wiser. As for the Lambda Virus…I believe increasing the production of the Protos Heis project will suffice nicely."

"Another thing, sir…" Brax began. "I expect you to receive word from the Princess of Fiore."

"I will deal with that when the time comes." Ashnard chuckled. "I already have a plan for everything…"

.

.

It was time to heal. A new day and just about everyone was feeling rather sore from all the hard fought battles. Luckily they had some healers…but most of the males preferred to pay a visit to Nurse Erza to have their injuries treated. What a bittersweet choice that was; if only they knew better. Erza had the tendency to wrap her 'patients' a little too tightly with the bandages. "Hold still…!" Erza had her foot against Waiston's face while pulling the bandages in the opposite direction.

"I…regret…nothing…" Waiston's voice was muffled. He had little problem taking a little injury if he got to be up close and personal to see someone like Erza in a nurse outfit.

"Everyone always goes to Erza…" Wendy spoke in a sheepish tone while poking her fingers together.

"It's not really a surprise why…" Chelia giggled as she was the one patching up Wendy's injured leg. "I wish I could help with the healing…"

"What are you going to do now that you don't have magic anymore…?" Cynthia asked while placing her hands on her knees.

"Nothing will change." Chelia replied with a firm nod. "I'll be okay, like I said before."

"Chelia…" Wendy was about to say she was sorry, but Chelia shook her head to stop her there.

"I'm fine." Chelia replied. "Really. Don't worry about me, just focus on getting better."

.

A few hours later, and everyone was practically patched up. Ena, Edna, and Venoma were waiting in one of the few buildings that managed to be spared in all the fighting to finish wrapping things up and saying goodbye to the humans. "So…that's what happened…?" Ena looked down, letting out a heavy sigh at the news of her father's death. "I can't say I wasn't expecting it…but it still makes me sad."

"I'm sorry, but it had to be done…" Erza patted Ena on the shoulder. "We had no other choice…"

"I know…" Ena let out a heavy sigh. "This will just take a lot of recovering…our island is in ruins and we've lost so much. Kurthnaga is fatally injured…I'm not sure how he'll react upon waking up…I never knew Father's influence over him was so strong…"

"We're sorry about that…" Cynthia said while poking her fingers together. "Wendy and I had to do what we had to do…"

"No, it's okay…" Ena shook her head slowly. "I think you two did a better job knocking some sense into him than I ever could…"

"What happens to the island now?" Gray questioned.

"Well...it's broken...and stuck to the ground. So...we'll just rebuild the city and chill in the water, I guess...it'll take a while, though..." Ena explained.

"Did you ever find out what happened to that water dragon and his parents…?" Juvia's words were full of hope…unfortunately; Ena and Venoma had to shake their heads. The worst had befallen that poor family Juvia tried so hard to save. "O-oh…."

"You know…" Shadowlore crept into the room somehow, wrapping his arm around Ena. "I've never gone on a date with a dragon before…been barking up that tree with Gaia for years now but she always tells me no…"

Ena began to sweat comically at Shadowlore's moves. "A-Ano…you're a very…..interesting individual, aren't you….?"

"Hands off the Princess." Venoma swatted Shadowlore's hand away from Ena.

"Anyway…that good for nothing Chosen really was good for something after all…" Edna sighed. "Speaking of…where did she go…?"

"Oh right…" Lucy turned to Natsu. "She was with you when you fought Dhegensea right? Where did she go…?"

"I dunno." Natsu replied with a stale look.

"HOW DO YOU NOT KNOW!?" Lucy's eyes comically widened as she yelled at Natsu.

"She poofed." Natsu replied with a shrug. "One second she was there and the next she wasn't."

"He's so much help, isn't he…" Edna rolled her eyes in annoyance.

"Jellal's group is gone too, now that I think about it…" Lucy muttered.

"That's weird though…" Sting rubbed the back of his head. "After all that you'd think she'd at least stick around to say goodbye or whatever…?"

"That is really strange…" Erza's eyes narrowed as she started to put somethings together in her head. "Wait…she was still alive when the battle ended but we never saw her leave…and I highly doubt she could go anywhere in her condition, she still hasn't been healed yet…"

"E-Everyone…!" Yukino stumbled into the building, panting heavily.

"What's wrong, Yukino…? You're all out of breath…" Levy tilted her head.

"W-We found Mii…!" Yukino tried to speak as quickly as she could. "T-They've got her tied up…at the castle…!"

.

There were only a few dragons that actually still followed Dhegensea for his actual goals. Nasir, Gaius, and Drake were among them. There was a small group of about 20 dragons gathered around the castle, and why? Because at the very top of the castle was a crucified Mii, just waiting to be dropped down below onto a sharp spike of rubble. "Do you see this!?" The injured Nasir shouted to the dragons. "This is the traitor responsible for the fall of our island! The loss of our King!"

The dragons let out a rallying roar. Just then, the other half of the group arrived a few yards away from the scene with wide eyes. "W-What are they doing…?" Wendy's eyes widened in pure shock.

"From what it looks like, they're getting ready to kill her." Reve stated.

"And you haven't interfered yet?!" Lucy asked the question angrily.

"It's not our business." Sidney replied. "She's a traitor not only to us, but to these dragons as well. We've no reason to help someone like her. She deserves to die."

"That's not true." Mira interjected. "She's done more than enough to help us…she's been with us all along."

"We're not you." Reve scoffed. "We're not a bunch of bleeding hearts who can overlook serious actions. Besides, it's clear she wants to die. You should've seen the lack of a fight she put up when they grabbed her."

"She looked at peace." Zalen said while pushing up his glasses.

"But…!" Aira made a comment now. "I think she really…"

"Aira, I don't think this is something we can really argue about…" Cygnus placed his hand on Aira's shoulder, shaking his head slowly. "Besides, they're still talking….I wanna hear what they have to say."

"This woman has brought this island from the heavens to hell…who believes she should pay for it with her life!?" Gaius shouted, causing the crowd to cheer.

"Hah…" Mii let out a small laugh. "My life isn't worth much, so I don't think you'll feel that fulfilled after you drop me."

Gaius grew annoyed that Mii was taking the value out of their execution. With a growl he snapped his fingers, causing flames to briefly engulf the female. "SILENCE!" And ironically, Mii let out a cry of pain as she was briefly roasted before her head fell over.

"We have to do something!" Chelia pleaded. "We can't let her die. She saved our lives at one point!"

"M-Maybe I can…" Ena began.

"Sorry to say this, Your Highness…" Adam spoke with his back turned to the Dragon Princess. "But I don't think they're going to listen to anything that comes from your mouth. They just want to see her death and nothing else will satisfy them."

"Meanwhile we're sitting here just talking about it when we could actually be doing something. Not everyone may want to save her, but those who want to should…" As Aira began speaking, she realized one person in particular was already gone. "Oh."

"…Did anyone see where Natsu went?" Lisanna blinked.

An explosion of flames occurred just in front of the castle, causing people to sweat drop. "I think I have an idea…" Lucy laughed nervously.

.

The dragons were caught off guard by the fiery explosion caused by Natsu. He stood in the middle of the crowd, but his attention wasn't on any of them, it was on Mii. "Oi, Mii! The hell are you doing up there!?"

"Son of Igneel, this business has naught to do with you." Drake spat. "This is Isle territory. Her sentence for betraying us several times is death."

Natsu just ignored Drake. "You oughta come down. I thought you decided you were going to try living a little more?"

"DON'T JUST IGNORE ME DAMN YOU!" Drake opened his maw in preparation to take a bite out of Natsu, but a bolt of thunder dropped down from the sky and fried him. Drake collapsed and twitched violently on the ground with sparks dancing around his body.

"I'm getting tired of these people talking." Laxus said while flexing his arm, staring at the other dragons who looked at him wide eyed. "Anyone else want a taste?"

"I appreciate the effort…" Mii let out a small, but pained laugh. "But I'm not worth anything in the end…I don't even see why you came to try and help…unless you're just saying goodbye…?"

"Why are you so stubborn!?" Wendy shouted. "We don't want you to die!"

"You've done more than you realize, and in a good way too!" Aira was right next to Wendy.

"So come down from there!" Sting was right beside them.

"Hear that, Mii?" Erza gave the red head a soft smile. "Those are the voices of those who want you to live. You should heed them."

"Yes…" Hisui nodded. "Throwing away your life won't help anyone now, or later. Your manner can be a little uncouth and vulgar at times…but I can see that you truly mean well."

"So if you plan on falling…you can trust us to catch you!" Even Cynthia was behind the notion now.

Mii remained silent, a small frown appearing on her lips. "You guys are such mood killers…you make it really hard for someone to keep their mind set on something…? Trust you…? That's the first time anyone's told me to do that…"

"ENOUGH!" Nasir swiped his hand, unleashing several blades of wind that cut the restrains on Mii. She was now entering a free fall towards the spike and she didn't have the energy to try and resist. "She will DIE right here, right now!"

"If I die, at least I lived for a little bit…" Mii mumbled while closing her eyes, preparing to accept whatever fate had in store for her.

"Oh no…!" Lector gasped.

"We have to save her!" Melody cried out.

"Happy!" Natsu waved for his exceed to come lift him into the air to chase after the falling Mii.

"I won't allow it!" Nasir swiped his hand, creating a wind current that pushed Natsu and Happy away from Mii.

"Whoa whoa…!" Happy flailed but he was unable to find a way to fight against the current.

"You've always been just a bully." Aira remarked with a scowl while creating her own wind current to push and nullify what Nasir created. "I don't like you."

Nasir was about to make a comment, but Edna leapt onto his back and stood on him with one foot, keeping him pinned to the ground. "Why don't you just stay down?"

Even if Natsu and Happy wanted to save Mii now, she already past them and was on a direct line with the spike that was ready to impale her. "She's gonna hit it…!" Milliana shouted.

"Not if I can help it…" Erza used what little magic she had to form a single blade. This blade flew forward to cleave the spike, making it no longer a danger to Mii. She then fell to a knee while looking up. "If anyone else wants to intervene that would be fine…"

"If I had magic I could use Libra to slow her gravity…" Yukino was feeling a little regretful now.

"I could do the same…if I had magic…" Kagura was also in the same situation.

"Cyg, you still have magic, right?" Selene asked while turning to the gravity god.

"Yeah." Cygnus replied.

"Why aren't you using it?" Selene narrowed her gaze.

"I don't want to…?" Cygnus quirked a brow. "Don't really feel too attached to the girl…plus she did kind of screw us over a lot…"

"Cyg, if you don't do something I'll cover all of your meatball subs in diamonds." Selene was dead serious.

"You wouldn't…" Cygnus started, but realized Selene wasn't playing around. "Fine…" Cygnus sighed and used his gravity magic to completely halt Mii's fall…but it only lasted for a split second since Gaius decided to spit small embers at his feet. "Oh, wow! Hot, hot!" And the distracted gravity god released his hold on Mii while stomping out the embers.

"You're annoying too!" Sting thwacked Gaius over the head and into the ground.

Wendy and Carla were going to try and rescue Mii. The falling female was just barely within reach and the ground was rapidly approaching. "Carla, drop me!"

"What?!" Carla's eyes widened.

"Just do it!" Wendy pleaded, and Carla reluctantly agreed. Now falling, Wendy was able to close the gap and grab Mii. "I got you…!"

"H-Huh!?" Mii's eyes shot open to see that Wendy was he savior. "Wendy..?! …You have a landing plan, right?"

"…No…" Wendy gulped.

People were worried about the free falling duo, but another figure with wings just flew in and caught them. It was Cynthia, flapping those dragon wings she had when she was infected. "I-I got you…!"

"Cynthia?!" Mii and Wendy exclaimed. "You can fly?!"

"I guess getting bitten wasn't so bad after all!?" Cynthia said with a grin. "But uhm…this isn't gonna be an easy landing…"

"Gate of the Ram, I open thee! Aries!" Lucy pulled out a golden key, a bell chime echoing through the area.

Aries appeared, sheepishly looking away while throwing her hands forward. "I-I'm sorry! Wool Bomb!" With that exclamation a large accumulation of wool appeared in the girls' landing path, giving them a safe landing.

"Whew…that was close…" Lucy said while wiping the sweat away from her brow.

"ALRIGHT." Now Ena was putting her foot down. "Any and all dragons showing any more signs of hostility WILL be shown severe punishment by ME!" Her voice boomed out and the threat actually registered, causing the rioters to finally back down.

.

Mii was patched up and healed as best she could, bandages wrapped all over the female to cover her wounds. She stood with her hands behind her back, giving everyone a soft smile. "I…I guess I can't thank you enough for actually deciding to help me. Dying didn't seem all that bad…until it was actually happening."

"No one wants to die, you know." Lucy said with a slight grin. "You're human, just like the rest of us…but why did you have your eyes closed the entire time….?"

"I was ready to accept whatever happened…but even though my eyes were closed my ears heard everything…" Mii averted her gaze. "I don't deserve your kindness…"

"We owed you one." Natsu said while digging in his ear. "You saved us, so we had to pay you back."

"He's very nonchalant about these kinds of things, isn't he…" Mii sighed. "Anyway...thank you…"

"What do you intend on doing now?" Erza questioned.

"I'm gonna turn over a new leaf for starters…and get out of your hair. I figured I've bothered you guys enough…and I need to think about some things." Mii's wings sprouted from her back and she began to fly up into the air. "Arigato…from the bottom of my heart." And with that, Mii flew off into the distance.

"Think she can change…?" Lucy asked.

"Maybe…" Erza replied. "It depends on her…and I honestly think she wants to…"

Several horns blared from off in the distance. Levy turned, giving a cheerful wave. "Oh, the ships I called in to pick us up from the Council are here!"

"Guess we're all ready to go then…" Ace shrugged. "We repaired the ship…we're gonna head back to Seven and report this to our Council."

"And get a major scolding." Tia added.

"R-Right…" Spade gulped before waving everyone goodbye. "I'm sure we'll see each other again someday soon…"

"Take care for now!" Diamond said.

"Later." Jack and Heartless both gave a halfhearted wave. With that Dealer went into their ship and took off.

"And you all?" Ena asked Cosmic Star.

"We'll be heading back as well. Bosco awaits." Gaia nodded. "It was nice having this little outing."

"We'll be seeing you lovely ladies later~" Daryan winked, but Alex started to drag him and Shadowlore by their ears.

"Come on you two…" Alex grunted. Cosmic Star left the scene, and all seemed like it was going to be well.

"Say…where did Natsu go this time…?" Gray looked around, noticing the dragon slayer was missing.

.

"I knew you were still here…" Natsu clenched his fist at Zeref.

"I was hoping you'd pick up on my scent." Zeref admitted while holding the book of E.N.D up. "Do you know what this book is…? This is the book of E.N.D."

Natsu's eyes widened slightly at hearing the name. "That's the book…"

"Or I should say…The book of Etherious Natsu Dragneel…" Zeref's words caused Natsu's eyes to narrow. "This is your book." To prove it, Zeref stabbed the book, and a jolt of pain occurred in Natsu's chest. He wasn't sure how to react to it since it came from nowhere. "…and not only that, but I am your brother, Zeref Dragneel. I was hoping that maybe one day you could put an end to my miserable life…but you've wasted your chance already…I would give you another one right now, but it's unlikely…"

"You don't think I won't do it now?!" Natsu asked as flames flared around his body.

"If you kill me, you'll die too." Zeref stated.

"AND!?" Natsu was prepared to charge, but Lucy's voice from afar stopped him. He turned to see Lucy coming from the distance.

"NATSU!? Where are you!? We have to go!"

By the time Natsu turned around, Zeref was gone, but his voice echoed. "If we meet again, my brother…perhaps it will be our last…"

"Natsu! There you are!" Lucy huffed, beginning to drag the spaced out Natsu back. "Come on…we can't stay here forever…I wanna go back home…"

"Yeah…" Natsu nodded slowly. But he took Zeref's words to heart…

.

The guilds were finally returning home, waving to Ena and the others as they sailed off. It was quite a day for them all, and they were glad to be returning. Makarov was on the boat with Fairy Tail, giving his kids a smile. "I'm proud of you brats, you all really came through."

"I told you they would, Sixth!" Mavis said with a bright smile. "They're growing up quite nicely."

"Well, we couldn't have done it alone." Levy raised a finger and giggled.

"It got a little close for comfort…" Hisui admitted. "Oh dear…Father and Arcadios are going to be so worried when I get back…I didn't tell them I was leaving…"

"We'll vouch for you!" Mira said with a small giggle.

"I can't wait to go home and lay in bed…" Cynthia let out a heavy sigh. "I could sleep for a week…"

Lucy looked over back at the island, a soft smile stretching on her lips. "Come visit you guys, okay? Heh…"

.

.

Desdemona sat in her room, legs crossed as she merely filed her nails. "So that's what they're all made of, hmm…?" She seemed intrigued, but disappointed at the same time. "Well, everyone else has gotten to have their fun…I suppose it will be my turn soon enough. I wonder if they'll be durable enough to even enjoy the beginning…?"

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Fairy Tail: Isle of the Dragons: END.


End file.
